Review: Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace by Kate Summerscale

Book Title/Author: Mrs Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale
Publisher/Year Published: June 2012 by Bloomsbury
Where I got it: NetGalley first, then I accidentally let it expire and had to wait a long time to finish it from the library
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary:via Goodreads

Headstrong, high-spirited, and already widowed, Isabella Walker became Mrs. Henry Robinson at age 31 in 1844. Her first husband had died suddenly, leaving his estate to a son from a previous marriage, so she inherited nothing. A successful civil engineer, Henry moved them, by then with two sons, to Edinburgh’s elegant society in 1850. But Henry traveled often and was cold and remote when home, leaving Isabella to her fantasies.

No doubt thousands of Victorian women faced the same circumstances, but Isabella chose to record her innermost thoughts—and especially her infatuation with a married Dr. Edward Lane—in her diary. Over five years the entries mounted—passionate, sensual, suggestive. One fateful day in 1858 Henry chanced on the diary and, broaching its privacy, read Isabella's intimate entries. Aghast at his wife’s perceived infidelity, Henry petitioned for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Until that year, divorce had been illegal in England, the marital bond being a cornerstone of English life. Their trial would be a cause celebre, threatening the foundations of Victorian society with the specter of "a new and disturbing figure: a middle class wife who was restless, unhappy, avid for arousal." Her diary, read in court, was as explosive as Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, just published in France but considered too scandalous to be translated into English until the 1880s.

This was a really cool book! I love that it's actually true and not just the normal romantic fiction that I read. In between the story of Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace is woven other tales of the Victorian Era. Charles Darwin features often in the second half of the book. Dickens is mentioned as well. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the life and times of the upper-middle class in Victorian England.

The romance and inevitable disgrace itself is told through tidbits collected from Isabella's letters and infamous diary. I find it interesting how often that diary is used. I mean, I have tried to do the diary thing but I lose interest in it pretty quickly. At one point, Summerscale makes the point that due to her horrid marriage Isabella is lonely. Thus her diary becomes her friend. I guess if I had no friends, and no internet, to talk to my diary would be used quite frequently as well.

Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace held my interest more than a plain old biography. I was so caught up in it that sometimes I forgot it was real. I really didn't know how the book would end up going through it. It read more like a fiction novel intersperced with real history, but then I would shake my head and think, "No. This is real."

As a reader of historical romance, I enjoyed this. If romance readers want a hint of a REAL romance story, check this out. This is one history book I wouldn't miss.

Why not more stars though if I loved it so much? Well as interesting as it was sometimes there was just too much history for me, especially during the trial. I really wanted to know what happens, not how Darwin would take to the waters. But this particular criticism is probably mostly due to my own struggles with non-fiction.

Overall this was pretty much just a good book. Check it out!

PS: I found about this book through NetGalley, but I waited too long to read it and my book expired! So I waited and immediately grabbed this from the library to finish it because I wanted to so badly know what happened to Mrs. Robinson.

Review: Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Andrew Shaffer

Book Title/Author: Fifty Shades of Earl Grey by Fanny Merkin (aka Andrew Shaffer)
Publisher/Year Published: July 31st 2012 by Da Capo Press
Where I got it: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:via Goodreads

A shrewd, laugh–out–loud parody of E. L. James' bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey series:

Young, arrogant, tycoon Earl Grey seduces the naïve coed Anna Steal with his overpowering good looks and staggering amounts of money, but will she be able to get past his fifty shames, including shopping at Walmart on Saturdays, bondage with handcuffs, and his love of BDSM (Bards, Dragons, Sorcery, and Magick)? Or will his dark secrets and constant smirking drive her over the edge?

I have never read Fifty Shades of Grey*. I've heard a lot about it and realized quite quickly through some snippets that Fifty Shades was not a book for me. That said, I am sort of obsessed with the phenomenon that is Fifty Shades and have read a few reviews, followed a lot of romance community's opinion and listened to one hilarious podcast. Knowing how much I enjoyed the tongue in cheek podcast, I knew 50 Shames of Earl Grey was right up my alley. It did not disappoint. In fact, it did the opposite.

This book is a parody and boy does it do a good job at it. There were quite a few instances of me being afraid of disturbing the peace with my laughter. Like the TSA was going to come take me off the airplane sort of thing. It does a great job of parodying not just the ridiculous story lines of Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight but also how they're horridly written. It takes a really smart written book to be able to ironically write badly.

I knew enough about the general gist of the source material to highly enjoy this book. You don't have to have read either of the sources to enjoy it, though I would suspect people who had would pick up more of the subtle parody. I did however knock a star off because it did start to drag a bit toward the middle to the end of the book. This may be a limitation on the source material, but I was getting a bit bored a little over halfway through.

Overall, this book was a really fun read. If you are looking for a light read that mocks current pop culture as well as "those" popular books, give this a try. There are some sexy-times, but they usually culminate in being only a few lines or doves coming out the hooha. You know, the normal stuff.

PS: Kudos on the awesome cover. The first 80 times I looked at this cover I didn't notice the 'special' gesture our tea drinker is making. Love it!

*Sidenote: Seriously, every time I spell 'grey' or 'gray' I think, "Which way am I supposed to spell it again?" And I work in a job where 'greyscale' is a word I type all the time.

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Book Title/Author: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Publisher/Year Published: October 2010 by Berkley Trade
Where I got it: Borders Blowout
Rating: 4/5 stars
Challenges: Reading Romances May Challenge: SciFi; TBR Pile Challenge
Summary:

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

I've been hearing rumblings about The Iron Duke around the internet for quite a while, especially when talking about steampunk books. I don't know what put me off reading it. Maybe there were a bit of mixed messages, but forever reason I didn't read it. I ended up reading it now because I randomly picked it up at one of Border's going out of business sales because I vaguely remembered good things. Well now I have an option. And overall that one is good.

The Story:
I don't even know how to start explaining the story. There is just so much intricacy built in with the way Brook constructed the book. The world-building was excellent. It really felt like the past mixed in with the alternate reality future. At first I was a little put off and confused by the terminology but she doesn't deluge you with facts and slowly awakens your knowledge of the world she has created. I was soon up on the lingo and the world.

The basic plot is there an inspector, Mina, who get's called out on a case at the Iron Duke's house. He is sort of a celebrity in London due to him freeing them from their former occupiers, the Horde. As the investigation grows into something bigger either thought, they are pushed together more often than not and drawn to each other.

I don't want to give too much away, but this story is WAY more than just a who done it. It turns into some crazy shiz. And yes, that is the technical term.

The plot was no too hard to follow, but some scenes I thought were a bit rushed or non-existent. Like one in particular time, she built us up for a sea battle and we saw very little of it. Boo. The ending was okay I guess. I can't put my finger on why it felt off for me (and I mean like the VERY ending).

The Characters:
This was by far my favorite part of this book. The leads were wicked dimentional. The secondaries were as well and I really hope to see more of them again with their own book.

Mina, the inspector, has some interesting issue to deal with and I thought they were handled well. I didn;t think they were too glossed over and instead took a bit to be worked out. Rhys, the Duke, though could be a hit or miss for people. Early on he seems like the biggest alphole to ever walk the pages of my brain, but slowly you see him grow and change. His growth and change however does not make him lose his alpha characteristics. That's why he could be hit or miss. Within the context of this book and because of this character growth, he was a hit for me. Well, I warmed up to him.

It's gotta be mentioned. Scarsdale made me laugh out loud at least once a time he was on the page. Between him and Lady Corsair they were probably the most well rounded secondary characters I have seen in a romance novel for a while.

The Romance:
This is a paranormal romance novel and thus there are a number of romantic-centric scenes. But I hesitate to say that is how I would define it. It is very much a well done interweaving of romance and paranormal. It's easy to get lost in either side.

There are some difficult romantic elements in this book dealing with the way sexuality was expressed during the Horde rule. They are not comfortable scenes. Were they necessary in the context of the book? I think so. I really do. It made the world more real to me.

Also, the sexy times are frequent, hot and like I mentioned sometimes tied to some heavy emotional moments that could be triggers for some of us, so if you are not into that, this may not be for you.

The Execution:
Overall I enjoyed it but my biggest qualm lay here. Some of the scenes, especially ones with lots of action seemed unbelievably confusing to me. I literally read a page 3 times very slowly to try and get what just happened and I still had trouble. The times I had to do this were not overwhelmingly high, but enough to bother me.

What did bother me though is there are two admirals each with a B name and one is a good guy and one is a not-so good guy (?) and I still get them confused. We didn't see them enough for me to remember the name and who was what. I wish that one of the other letters of the alphabet were used so I wasn't like "Wait, isn't he dead?"

The Overview:
Overall, I sure as hell enjoyed it enough to survive this hectic work week with only on average 5 hrs of sleep. That may even be a max of five hours each night. All because I wanted to go back into this world and be with these people. I am really excited to continue this series.

Review: An Affair with Mr Kennedy by Jillian Stone

Book Title/Author:An Affair with Mr. Kennedy by Jillian Stone
Publisher/Year Published:January 2012 by Pocket Books
Where I got it: The library
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary:Via Goodreads

London, 1887. Part stoic gentleman, part fearless Scotland Yard man, Zeno "Zak" Kennedy is an enigma of the first order. For years, the memory of a deadly bombing at King's Cross has haunted the brilliant Scotland Yard detective. His investigation has zeroed in on a ring of aristocratic rebels whose bloody campaign for Irish revolution is terrorizing the city. When he discovers one of the treacherous lords is acquainted with his free-spirited new tenant, Cassandra St. Cloud, his inquiry pulled him unexpectedly close to the hear of the conspiracy -- and into the arms of a most intriguing lady.

Cassie is no Victorian prude. An impressionist painter with very modern ideas about life and love, she is eager for a romantic escapade that is daring and discreet. She sets her sights on her dour but handsome landlord, but after she learns their meeting was not purely accidental, she hardly has a chance to forgive her lover before their passionate affair catapults them both into a perilous adventure.

This was definitely one of the more unique historical romances out there. I can see why RWA gave her an award. Let's break it down, shall we?

The Story:
The story is gripping. It takes you on a journey with Scotland Yard and its heroes, especially Zeno aka Zak. There is a plot afoot and Cassie seems to be unwittingly caught in the middle. Zak makes it his responsibility to protect her, and well, things happen along the way. The story bounces back between their love and the nefarious schemes of The Bloody Four. It is rather unique in that there is an actual mystery like plot with Scotland Yard, and their romance pretty much solidifies about halfway through the book.

You can tell all the research that went into this novel, too. She really makes it known that this is the turn of the century (almost) Victorian England, and it doesn't do the novel disservice. Although through the first chapter, I wrote down all of the references I didn't get or the inventions I wasn't sure existed. After losing hours to Wikipedia, she was right on them all, and I learned the history of vibrators.

The Characters:
First we shall look at the leads.

Cassie was a contradiction. Well maybe not a contradiction but built a contradiction in me. She is the daughter of a suffragist who rides bikes in breeches. All well and good and pretty awesome. Side note: I've ridden a bike in a skirt and do NOT recommend it). She is also an artist. Super likable, yeah? But then she goes and does stupid things like refusing a guard when she knows this not nice man from her past is tailing her and wants her kidnapped. "No I am good with one guard." Seriously?! I don't care how "feminist" you are, it seemed stupid to me and I just couldn't forgive her for the needless danger she kept getting into because of it.

Zak was less of a struggle to like. He was pretty consistent. I got a little tired of the hero gig that he kept playing over and over again. But I guess it comes with his job? I mean he must be super good at it.

All of these complaints make it sound like I hated Zak and Cassie, but I didn't. Not really. They were pleasant for the most part, these were just my qualms.

I did extremely love the side characters and can't wait for them to have books of their own.

The Romance:
The romance took a bit of a backseat to some of the story, but it wasn't too bad. The first half was brilliant in the romance aspect. After they hooked up the first time it was more.... leisurely. And you know that isn't really a bad thing. I would have liked to see more romance outside of the sexy times, but you know this isn't really a negative. It made the story and characters seem more like characters in the real world as opposed to Romancelandia.

The Execution:
Remember how I mentioned the bouncing between romance and mystery? Well, it does this rather smoothly for most of the novel, but the end seemed to drag. To be honest, I wish this would have ended scenes earlier. Like about 50 pages. The ending seemed a little anticlimacitc.

The Overview:
Overall, I liked it. It was refreshing to read a non-regency, a non-ton (for the most part) story about a man making his living in the world. A super interesting living with crime solving and bombs. I am really looking forward to reading more from Ms. Stone, especially more of the Scotland Yard books.

3/5

Review: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Book Title/Author:I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Publisher/Year Published: July 1999 by St. Martin's Press (first published 1948)
Where I got it: Boarders Blowout last year
Rating: 4/5 stars
Challenges: March Entry from TBR Pile Challenge

Summary:via Goodreads

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"--and the heart of the reader--in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

I have had I Capture the Castle on my to-read list for years. In fact Goodreads said I added it to my shelves in August of 2009! So almost three years later, I got around to reading it. And it was quite a good book.

Cassandra is our narrator of this story and she chronicles the going on of her family, who are destitute and living in a ramshackle castle, through a series of journals. You can see her writing become better as the story progresses. Cassie is the middle child of a famous ex-writer. She lives with her older sister, Rose, a beauty who's only hope for bringing the family income is marriage; her younger brother Thomas, still in school; her step-mom Topaz, a former model for famous painters; her father the ex-writer who does nothing all day much to the dismay of the family; and Stephen, a son of a former maid who grew up with the family and is the only one providing any income for them to live and is in love with Cassie.

The cast of characters in this novel are remarkably well rounded. I loved the interactions between them all, and those interactions really drove the plot. The first few chapters are getting to know them and their situation, but the plot really begins when two men stumble into the castle one day. These two men are the new owner of the castle they rent, Simon, and his brother Neil.

Shenanigans ensue.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and toward the end it was hard to put down. The narrator was sometimes a pain to deal with because she had teenager like tendencies and thus would ramble out love and miss the obvious. But that's expected. It was an artistic choice that sometimes didn't work for me, but sometimes did. I know this sounds really wishy washy. Let's see if I can give an example. Cassandra falls in love in this book. It's her first love so much of her journal is about him. Expected of a 17 year old? Absolutely. Good reading material? Not really.

By the end of the book, I had wished the outcome different with her and one of the guys (trying to stay vague here), but it was still a satisfying conclusion.

I would recommend this to people who like historical fiction and a fun set of love stories. It really is just a picture of these peoples lives, a really interesting picture too.

I am glad I finally read it, and I am glad I own it because I will probably be reading this one again.

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Book Title/Author: Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher/Year Published: January 2012
Where I got it: The library
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:via Goodreads

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

When I read the description for Everneath a few months back, I thought to my self "This sounds a lot like Hades/Persephone." Now that I have finished I can confidently say, that this is like mythology updated in a rather unique way with a dash of Persephone, a splash of Orpheus and Eurydice and a hint of old school Egypt.

The story actually starts off pretty confusingly as we are pushed right into the mythos of Ashton's world. No backstory. No "these are the rules". Nothing. We learn what was going on through a series of flashbacks and/or as Nikki learns it herself. Which I don't really have a problem with. I actually prefer it this way over the info-dump.

The story soon sucked me in. I really like how it is inspired by mythology, but not a direct copy. The plot was very well paced. As the time got close to her decision, I felt the sense of urgency with Nikki.

The characters were pretty okay. Rather well rounded, but there is some room for improvement. Nothing that ever actively made me want to kill them because they bored me, that's for damn sure. None of these characters are boring.. well strike that. Some of the secondary characters I would like to see fleshed out more (Jules, Dad, brother), but the main ones were far from flat.

Nikki was not too teen like, but not too mature, but not to well functioning for all the stuff that happened to her aka 100 years in the Everneath. It was a perfect mix.

Jack had a little less depth to him, at least that we could see, but I guess this it makes sense. The novel was told from Nikki's perspective so I can forgive this one.

Now. Cole.

I hope this is never mistaken for a "love triangle book" or never becomes one in the future because seriously, this guy is a dick. I see almost no good qualities in him, besides he somewhat keeps his word when he gives it. I think I could grow to love to hate him. I understand him, he his a well written character, but still. A big fat tool. Whom I want to read more about...

The ending, which of course is a set up for a series (I really, really need to read some standalone ya. Does it even exist anymore?), I thought was pretty satisfying and the pitch for the next book isn't a horrid cliffhanger or anything. The story of this book solidly wraps up. It just leaves that hook dangling and the reader wishing for a time machine.

So overall I was highly engaged and am looking forward to reading the next ones. I would LOVE to see more mythology inspired books like this one.

Review: The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long

Book Title/Author: The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long
Publisher/Year Published: January 2008 by Avon Books
Where I got it: an eBook from the library
Rating: 3/5 stars
Challenges: February entry in my To Be Read Pile Challenge

Summary:via Goodreads

Scandal has rocked the city of London. Colin Eversea, a handsome, reckless unapologetic rogue is sentenced to hang for murder and, inconveniently for him, the only witness to the crime disappears. Then again, throughout history, the Everseas have always managed to cheat fate in style: Colin is snatched from the gallows by a beautiful, clever mercenary.

Cool-headed, daring Madeleine Greenway is immune to Colin's vaunted charm. Her mission is not to rescue Colin but to kidnap him, and to be paid handsomely for it. But when it becomes clear that whoever wants Colin alive wants Madeline dead, the two become uneasy allies in a deadly race for truth. Together, they'll face great danger--and a passion neither can resist.

Historically, the thing about me and historical romances* is that I find an author I love and read the crap out of all the books I can find by them until I can find no more. More recently though, meaning the past few years, though I read the new books put out by my favorite authors, I find my self branching out and trying different things.

I've been wanting to read Julie Anne Long for a while. I don't know why I didn't; it just never panned out. I think the catalysis was buying one of her books from the Border's sales, but it was the 5th in the series.

One thing to know about me. I cannot stand being "spoiled" for a book (or movie or TV show). If it is a series, I must read it in order.

So now that I had this book with the inciting cover and rave reviews in my possession, I couldn't do anything with it until I read the 4 previous books.

This is where we start our review.

The Perils of Pleasure is the first book in Long's Pennyroyal Green series. The series definitely starts off on a high note with Colin, the literally almost hung innocent murderer, and Madeline, the woman hired to save him.

I can't say that I have ever read a historical romance novel where the hero and heroine are pretty much on the run the entire novel. Yay! Unique plots! After the explosive beginning with the almost-hanging, they spend the rest of the novel trying to uncover what actually did happen, while of course falling for each other.

I loved Colin and Madeline. Unique, true to character throughout, growth and change. Love it! The scenes between the two of them were well crafted as well. The one sex scene was wonderfully sensual and fit well with these two.

I think why I didn't give this more stars was while I liked the story, sometimes it was a little jarringly written. We mostly followed Madeline and Colin, but then would be abruptly transported for a paragraph or so to some side character from Colin's large family's mind. Or Colin's large family's enemies large family.

I can see why this is a series.

I dont know if the feeling of being bounced around a bit was just me, but it pulled me out of the main story between Colin and Madeline. I see why some of it was necessary because of how the plot progressed, but still. The ending gave me the same, strange feeling too.

Despite all of this it was a satisfying story, I completely enjoyed the uniqueness of the plot though it failed a bit on the execution, and I will continue on with the series.

*Ha! A pun! I love puns!

Giveaway: Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Hop

hosted by Reading Romances

The Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Hop is a hop where each participating blog hosts their own giveaway and then all hosts are linked up so our followers hop between one blog to another!

I think this may be my first giveaway on this site. What better time to do it then around St. Valentine's Day? I don't have a sweetheart this year, so one of YOU gets to take that prize :)

Here are the lovely details.

The Prize:

When Beauty Tamed the Beast
By Eloisa James
Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman.

She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love—in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return. If she decides to be very wicked indeed . . . what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?

This was such a fun fairy tale retelling! Eloisa James is doing quite a few fairy tale retellings as of late. Though they are the same theme they are not really a series so there is need to worry about jumping in with this book.

The characters in this book are realistically flawed and interesting! This is a great book for those who are new to romance or looking for a new twist on a historical romance!

How To Enter:
The giveaway runs from February 6through the 13th. Winners will be announced on the 14th. Please use the rafflecopter below to enter!

Review: Heiress Without A Cause by Sara Ramsey

Book Title/Author:Heiress Without A Cause by Sara Ramsey
Publisher/Year Published: January 2012 by Spencerhill Associates Ltd
Where I got it: NetGalley in trade for an honest review
Rating: 3/5 stars
Challenges: Reading Romance January Challenge

Summary:via Goodreads

One title to change his life…

A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William “Ferguson” Avenel is content to live in exile – until his father dies in the scandal of the Season. With rumors of insanity swirling around them, his sisters desperately need a chaperone. Ferguson thinks he’s found the most proper woman in England – and he won’t ruin her, even if he secretly desires the passionate woman trapped beneath a spinster’s cap.

One chance to break the rules…

Lady Madeleine Vaillant can’t face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise, on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she’s nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity – even setting up her actress persona as Ferguson’s mistress. She’ll take the pleasure he offers, but Madeleine won’t lose her heart in the bargain.

One season to fall in love…

Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Ferguson’s old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love?

Browsing through NetGalley one day, I stumbled upon a very pretty cover (as you can see) and an equally intriguing summary. And the story I have to say lives up to that summary.

Madeline is a spinster almost ready to live her life alone, but not until she has one last hurrah. In her case, it is acting in a stage play of Hamlet. Ferguson is a misunderstood rake who desires nothing to do with being a duke and longs to return to Scotland. Both of the leads have strong and weak qualities to them, which is great in developing well rounded characters. I didn't love either of them, but I didn't hate them either, and I particularly enjoyed certain aspects of each. That is probably one of the more vauge statements that I have written. Let me see if I can extrapolate.

Let's take Madeline. She is courageous enough to step out of her shell and take a risk, but also overly cautious about love due to some issues from her past. At the same time, some of those issues almost come across as a bit petty. So that is why I don't really hate her, but I can't love her either.

I think what I enjoyed about them the most was their passion for each other. The romance/steamy scenes between the two of them was awesome. I really enjoyed all of that. True story, I had to turn the little overhead air fan on while reading on the airplane I was so flushed from reading the love scenes.

The story was particularly engaging and unique with the whole acting/mistress aspect. That is really where to story focuses. The weak parts have to come in the beginning. The first chapter was extremely hard for me to read because I kept getting confused. There was a serious backstory dump at the introduction of each new character, and since chapter one is where you meet most of the new characters, I was lost despite my slower reading speed. But once I sorted it all out getting into the story came easier. My next issue came at the end though. It seemed a bit anti-climactic and the happily ever after was just ... there. I didn't feel like too much conflict resolution had happened and it was all of a sudden okay. I don't know, this may be a little nit-picky.

Overall, I enjoyed it and that is what matters. I definitely enjoyed it enough to pick up the next one when it comes out. Who would I recommend this to? If you are historical romance reader looking for something that is different than the norm, check it out. Once your through the first chapter, its a good read :)

Reviews Galore! Just not here...

I had a couple of reviews at other sites this past week. I meant to link them here on the day they posted but alas lots of things happened this week that kept me away from the computer.

Better late than never.

On Wednesday over at Seductive Musings I reviewed Laura Lee Guhrke's Wedding of the Season. This is the first of her Abandoned at the Alter series.

On Thursday over at The Broke and the Bookish I reviewed Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to know everything which is a book about the computer IBM has created to play Jeopardy!

Check them out if you are so inclined.

Scandal of the Year - Laura Lee Guhrke

Book Title/Author:Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke
Publisher/Year Published: January 25th 2011 by Harper Collins
Where I got it: I received a review copy from netGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
Challenges: A to Z Male Name: A, A to Z Female Name: J, A to Z Book Title: S

Summary: via Laura Lee Guhrke's website

From their very first meeting, Julia knew that Aidan Carr, the oh-so-proper Duke of Trathen, had a bit of the devil in him, a devil who secretly yearned for what he could not have, a devil who harbored a desire for her. So when she needed to be caught in a compromising situation, Aidan was the answer to her prayers.

Aidan is supposed to be looking for a bride, yet his scandalous liaison with Julia is all he can think about. Hot, erotic memories of kissing her skin, falling into her bed, pulling her naked body on top of his own continue to torment and tempt him. What is it about this brazen seductress that he finds so hard to resist? And how can he stop himself from falling into her bed a second time?


The second book in the Abandoned at the Altar series, Scandal of the Year lets us follow the tale of my two favorite people from the first book, Julia and Aiden. I didn't really like the first book all that much, but was still excited to read this. The two characters were already interesting and I was curious on how they would be developed further.

I read this book in a day, yet I needed the extra days to really digest everything. It was engaging to see how the story unfolded. It wasn't in a linear fashion, but instead we were told the relevant facts in the beginning (in the summary even) and then as we watched the characters develop and grow, we were shown things that happened prior providing an interesting juxtaposition between past and present. Outside of that, the story was just interesting!

I really enjoyed where Guhrke took these characters. She didn't change who they were in the first book as so often happens when secondary characters get books of their own, but just expanded what we already knew. The growth and arc Julia and Aiden experienced individually and as a couple worked. It wasn't too little or too much. It just worked.

I really think that if I had to sum up the book in a sentence, it would be "It just worked."

Though you may notice that it only has for stars. I can hear, "But wait! If it just worked, why only four stars?" There were some moments that I thought were a little long during the flashbacks. Also, the last book was summarized in thought about 4 times (as well as at least one other previous Gurhke book) and this just rubbed me the wrong way. It was a little too strange for me to hear one character summarize another book in dialogue with the person who supposedly lived it.

But overall it still 'just worked.'

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Book Title/Author:Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley
Publisher/Year Published:2010 by Berkley
Where I got it: The library
Rating: 3/5 stars
Challenges: A to Z Character Challenge Female: I, A to Z Character Challenge Male: R, A to Z Book Challenge, A to Z Author Challenge: A

Summary:Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized London by leaving her husband, notorious artist Lord Mac Mackenzie, after only three turbulent years of marriage. But Mac has a few tricks to get the Lady back in his life, and more importantly, back into his bed.

Way back in January, I reviewed the first book in this series The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a fresh take on historical romance. In it we were introduced to Isabella and Mac, the separated married couple who still love each other but can't get past old demons.

Overall, it was an enjoyable book. It is a nice twist to read a book that is not about getting married, but really about staying so. Life has some rough twists for these two characters and they have to learn to deal with them and move past it.

Outside of the romance there is a plot dealing with a identity impersonation that is interesting. And we get to see some of the characters we loved from the first novel (Ian...).

It was enjoyable. I liked it, not as much as the first, but it was still enjoyable. I will definitely read the next one, The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, when it comes out in August!

Random Discoveries

I've been reading a bit lately and then falling asleep soon after that, so review progress has been slow going (hence me starting at 9:15 tonight). But I have a book gathering story to tell.

I recently, after a bit of a drought, made a run on the library. Most of the books in the run were romance novels I've been wanting to read. I felt that while I was there I might as well pick up the next two in Caroline Linden's series. It wasn't till I was home that I discovered the covers shocking similarities.



THERE THE SAME PEOPLE! WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES! She even has the necklace on in both!!

Mind. Blown.

What A Gentleman Wants - Caroline Linden

Book Title/Author: What A Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden
Publisher/Year Published: 2006 by Zebra Historical Romance
Where I got it: The library
Rating: 3/5 stars
Challenges: A to Z Male Name: M, A to Z Female Name: H, A to Z Author: C, A to Z Book Title: W, 2011 Historical Romance Challenge

Summary: Marcus is a duke with a twin brother whom he is always bailing out of scrapes. Said twin brother decides to play a trick on Marcus by pretending to be him while he marries a good, plain country woman. When she shows up on Marcus's door step with her young child, she is just as surprised as he to find out she is not married to man she thinks she is. Cursing herself for her stupidity, Hannah finds herself in quite a pickle. She ends up making a deal with the duke and hijinks ensue.

This was a enjoyable novel. In the face of a potentially ridiculous plot beginning, it was done quite well. In fact, there was less ridiculous flounce than a good deal of romance novels without ridiculous twin plots (except maybe at the end).

The characters are very likable and the best thing about this novel. Marcus was full of snap and scorn as benefiting a duke, but inside he had that soft center. He reminded me of the character Snape in Harry Potter a bit and thus I could not help but thinking of him as a young Alan Rickman (not that this is a bad thing).

Hannah on the other hand is a strong, independent country woman just looking to keep running her own house and raise her child the way she sees fit. Once the romance kicks into swing, she displays a good deal of level headedness that many historical romance heroines lack.

For example, there was one point where the "big misunderstanding" plot could have taken over, but instead of the "Well I thought this is what you wanted even though I never asked nor made my own feelings know" Hannah even says, "What's the worse that could happen if I say something?" It was very refreshing.

Some of the subplot at the end was kind of strange, and just made the story feel like it went on a little longer than it should have. But overall I highly enjoyed this novel!

Happy Birthday to Me! Book B

In honor of my (Nicole's) July 10th birthday:

A. Read a book by a writer who is a Cancer (June 21-July 22)
AND
B. Read a book that has a NOUN in the title. This noun MUST appear on page 31 of your Part A book (I am turning 31 this summer).

As you may or may not recall, I read The Outsiders for the first part of this challenge. On that page was the word "name". Actually, the phrase "My Name is" was on that page. So I chose to read My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares. She is most known for the books about the traveling pants, but since I have not read those, this was my first taste of her.

I wrote up a full book review over at The Broke and the Bookish but I wanted to talk about something else in relation to this book. The book trailer. Take a look.



Seems like a great book! Where was that book? Because it sure as hell wasn't the story I read. I don't know how I feel about book trailers. I like ones like this better then the words floating on the screen. But they don't really influence me to read a book one way or another. Mostly because you get trailers like the above one, trailers I want to have babies with I love it so much, and then they are nothing like the book. But then you get other book trailers that have meh trailers and the books are made of win.

So I guess my point is with this is wondering what you all think of book trailers, and to complain that this was not the book I read. Though this trailer does remind me of Bright Star. And if you are looking for a good movie with some romance in a historical setting, I suggest that one.

The Name Game: Book B

A. For the first half of the task, read any book you like of at least 100 pages.
AND
B. For the second half of the task read another book (of at least 100 pages) whose author’s first or last name, is the same as the last name of the author of the book you read for the first half of the task.

For Book A I read Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey. Thus for book B, I chose a romance novel by Johanna Lindsey.

Book Title/Author: Angel by Johanna Lindsey
Publisher/Year Published: 1992 by Avon
Where I got it: I read it during my early romance novel days and I picked up a copy at the library book sale.
Rating: 3/5 stars

First of all, I must address this inlet. When I read it the first time, my cover was a nice picture of a house. There was not suggestive inlet either, disappointed to 14 year old me. But the book I got from the booksale is not a nice house cover, but instead has this on the inside.

I almost spit my drink when I saw this. Not only does it have 1) the exposed women shoulder 2)FABIO and 3)scenic back drop BUT A PANTHER! A black panther looks like it was photoshopped in to add some sort of tie with the story because it is in the story believe it or not, even though it is set in the wild west. I don't understand how people could have thought Fabio was the best thing on romance novels since sliced bread. All he does is make me laugh.

Anyway the book. This is one of the few western romances I have read. Angel is a hired gunslinger forced to help Cassie, a meddling woman, to pay off a debt he owes. Hijinks ensue. Now the plot is sort of lack luster, but not as bad some some romance novels I have read. What really carries this story is the characterization. They act consistently and I can clearly see their motivations for doing what they are doing. Everything makes total sense to me, even in the ridiculous world of the romance west.

If you like cowboys, love and good characterization, pick this up. Don't be discouraged by the bad inlet. At least its not on the cover.

It's Time For The Swim Suit Edition: Book B

Pick one of the following swim suit styles to fit your reading type.

A. Tank Suit - Read 1 book of at least 850 pages.
B. Bikini - Read 2 books totaling at least 850 pages and first published in 1946 (date of first named bikini) or later.
C. Tankini - Read 850 pages of book(s) published in last 5 years.
D. Victorian (The kind with sleeves, skirt & bloomers.) - Read 850 pages of book(s) published between 1834 and 1901.

Book title and author:Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate, #2) by Gail Carriger (Goodreads Author)
Info: published 2010 by Orbit
Where: The new fantasy book shelf at the library
Rating: 3/5

Changeless is the second in the Parasol Protectorate series that started with Soulless. This series follows the life of Alexia, a lady living in Victorian England, but she is not a normal Victorian lady. First of all, she is living in a world where paranormals are integrated into society. Second of all, she has no soul.

In this book she starts another adventure, a new job with the Queen. When some mysterious things start to happen to the supernaturals in London, she is tasked with finding out what and why this is happening. This may involve awesome weapons made out of an umbrella and dirigibles.

Compared to this first book, this one was not as gripping, but it was still entertaining. There were more characters introduced this time around and some of our old favorites returned where we found out more about them. The steampunk is in full swing with all of the awesome gadgets and science things. The climax had me reading without putting it down.

So why only a 3 out of 5? Well, with the more time spent with our heroine, the more she started to annoy me. She seemed quite inconsistent in her smarts. Maybe it's just limitations on her knowledge of the time, but she is continually called a blue stocking so I cant completely buy that. Lord Maccon was adorable in Scotland, but especially toward the end his stubbornness made me want to ring his neck! The secondary characters are amazing though.

The third book in the series, Blameless comes out August 31st. I found this awesome promotional video about the making of the cover. It's quite entertaining and interesting to see the process. I suggest you watch it and check out these books. They are really quite witty and entertaining. The writing makes me laugh out loud drawing quite a few looks from people around me.

Anyway check out the video! And the book!

Birthdays and Birthmonths: Book B

Since roughly 90% of the people in my (Ms. Anderson's) life were born in June, I thought it would be fun to do a task related to birthdays!

For your first book, pick out your birthday month from this list and read a NONFICTION book about that topic.
...
December: History of Language (EXAMPLE: Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World)

For your second book, find out what day of the week on which you were born (if you don't know already) and read a FICTION book from that genre.
...Tuesday: Alternate History (EXAMPLE: The Yiddish Policemen's Union)
...
Note: The books are two distinct categories, so therefore do not need to be related at all.

Book title and author:Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger
Info: published 2009 by Orbit
Where: Picked it up off the new book shelf at my college library
Rating: 4/5

This book was a breath of fresh air. I think reading this first chunk of the summary (via Goodreads) sums it up quite nicely.

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

First of all, what is "soulless"? Why are there vampires in Victorian England? And when have vampires ever been in the realm of social etiquette?

This first book in the series answers all those questions and more. It is a debut effort by Gail Carriger that mixes steampunk, paranormal elements and a powerfully strong heroine, adding a dash of romance and a whole smattering of intelligence. The writing is snarky and delicious and really brings you into a story where you have no trouble believing that vampires and werewolves are an integral and excepted part of English society.

With the resident werewolf love interest, Lord Maccon (who is to die for in his powerful manliness) and the lovable effeminate vampire Lord Akeldama are wonderful characters! And that only really names two. The secondary characters really round out the story and give it that extra something. The book is complete with horrible sisters, a mysterious society and all the glories of steampunk London.

It is worth taking a look. A good alternative to the many formulaic books on the shelf today. An interesting world, an interesting plot, awesome characters. Win, win, win.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Read a book involving Greek and/or Roman gods. May be non-fiction or fiction. Half-blood Gods are fine.

Book Title/Author: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher/Year Published: 2002 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Where I got it: I own it. I think I purchased it from Half Price Books back in the day
Rating: 3/5 stars

Fantasy Lover is the first in The Dark-Hunter series. Well, I would call it more of a prequel to the series because it stands alone quite nicely and really doesn't have any part in the mythos of the Dark-Hunters. It does the following: 1)sets up the thoughts that the gods are a part of life, even still today 2)mentions the character of the real first Dark-Hunter book a couple of times.

But let's get to the actual book, shall we? This book stars Grace, a frustrated sex therapist who is not getting any herself. Her concerned friend gives her a supposedly ancient book that will help alleviate this problem. Skeptical Grace gets drunk enough to say the enchantment that will release the sex slave from the book. It works and Julian, an ancient demigod who has been cursed in the book since Sparta was a viable state, pops out and starts wanting to get his freak on. Grace, though drunk, does not and decides to help him get out of the book with all that entails.

Writing that all out makes the book sound ridiculous, but in actuality it is quite funny. The premise is interesting. Ancient Greek sex slave, yours for a month! And the characters are very well rounded. Some of the secondary characters I love to death. Take for instance Cupid and Psyche, the bikers. Cupid, excuse me, Eros wears his bow on a little necklace!

If you like romance novels that have humor in them and a little bit of the super natural, I recommend this book. There is no commitment to the rest of the series as it wraps up quite nicely at the end. I'm not sure what number the Dark-Hunters are on now. I fell off the wagon when they all were the same plot with a slightly different take. But the first ones were quite enjoyable, starting with Fantasy Lover.

Sorry, followers. I thought this posted quite awhile ago. Apparently I screwed up the scheduling. My bad.

Waiting On Wednesday: Sleepless

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Sleepless by Cyn Balog
Release Date: July 13th 2010

Eron De Marchelle isn't supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to--after all, getting too involved in one human's life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't seem to reach her . . .

Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?

How many stories have you read that feature a Sandman as a main character? Mister Sandman, bring me a dream. Make him the cutest that I've ever seen...