Tag: historical (Page 18 of 21)

In For A Penny by Rose Lerner – Happy Re-Release!

June 4, 2014 / Kaetrin

Everyone throw streamers, In For A Penny is back on digital shelves again and a whole new audience can discover the joy of it. Originally released by Dorchester (who went bust), the author finally got her rights back and Samhain have now re-released it, with a pretty new cover and everything.

Rose Lerner is having a giveaway to celebrate the event – go here for details.

In honour of the occasion, here is my review – originally posted on 29 March 2010 (my birthday so extra special!). I was pretty new to blogging and review writing back then but the sentiment holds true and I have resisted any edits.

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I bought In For A Penny after reading AnimeJune’s review over at Gossamer Obsessions. Thank you AnimeJune!!

The Blurb: No more drinking. No more gambling. And definitely no more mistress. Now that he’s inherited a mountain of debts and responsibility, Lord Nevinstoke has no choice but to start acting respectable. Especially if he wants to find a wife-better yet, a rich wife. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She’s pretty, rational, ladylike, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem. But when they actually get to Nev’s family estate, all the respectability and reason in the world won’t be enough to deal with tenants on the edge of revolt, a menacing neighbor, and Nev’s family’s propensity for scandal. Overwhelmed but determined to set things right, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other. And to their surprise, that just might be enough. Continue reading

Review at AudioGals

May 31, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals today with a review of Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran, narrated by Alison Larkin. I enjoyed this very much – I wonder if the audio format makes the prose seem less dense? (Or, is it just that this book was different to her other work?) I love Duran’s prose – but I find it takes concentration to read. It’s something I need to sink myself into. I think maybe the narrator did some of that “work” for me here. It’s a theory anyway.

Enlightenment Trilogy by Joanna Chambers

May 28, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve had my eye on this series for a while. I knew from the author that there was no HEA until the third book and that by the end of the first book, the protagonists are apart. That being the case, I decided to wait until the third book was out before I read any of them. That way I could get my HEA fix. While there are no cliffhangers, and book two does have a kind of happy for now ending, the big payoff is in book three.

I decided to review them all together because I think it is a story in three parts. Unless the writing style doesn’t work for a particular reader, anyone who picks up Provoked will read Beguiled and Enlightened as well. I read them one after the other and I suspect new readers are likely to do the same.

Necessarily, the blurbs for the second and third books contain some spoilerish things for the previous stories but given that readers know that it is a romantic trilogy, I don’t think they give that much away.

Provoked

Lowborn David Lauriston lacks the family connections needed to rise in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world. Worse, his latest case—defending weavers accused of treason—has brought him under suspicion of harbouring radical sympathies.

Troubled by his sexuality, tormented by memories of a man he once platonically loved, David lives a largely celibate life—until a rare sexual encounter with a compelling stranger turns his world on its head.

Cynical and worldly, Lord Murdo Balfour is more at home in hedonistic London than dingy, repressed Edinburgh. Unlike David, he intends to eventually marry while continuing to enjoy the company of men whenever he pleases. Yet sex with David is different. It’s personal, intimate, and instead of extinguishing his desire, it only leaves him hungry for more.

As David’s search for the man who betrayed the weavers deepens, he begins to suspect that his mysterious lover has more sinister reasons for his presence in Edinburgh. The truth could leave his heart broken…and more necks stretching on the gallows.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m really glad I waited for all three books before I read this one. While it is the necessary first chapter and provides context to the relationship between David and Murdo, it doesn’t have a satisfying ending in terms of romance. The story was complete – the mystery regarding the agent provocateur was resolved and there really was no other way for the story to end – neither man was remotely read for a happy ending but my romance loving soul was not soothed. I was very happy to be able to move straight Beguiled. It would have been a mistake for me to read Provoked when it was first released.

Review at AudioGals

May 27, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m at AudioGals today reviewing My Lady Notorious by Jo Beverley, narrated by Alison Larkin. I enjoyed this one but have reservations about the performance of Rothgar.

A Shocking Delight by Jo Beverley

May 16, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought it because: Jo Beverley and because: Company of Rogues. Duh.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The man she shouldn’t want. The woman he shouldn’t marry…

David Kerslake, smuggling master from The Dragon’s Bride, is now Earl of Wyvern and must survive the ton as well as the Preventive Officers.

Lucy Potter, daughter of a wealthy merchant, is more interested in trade than in the men after her dowry. When forced to have a London season, she sets out to enjoy herself rather than to find a husband. But once she meets the notorious Earl of Wyvern, her resolve weakens, and when they kiss, it dissolves—even though her instincts warn he’s dangerous.

Wyvern has a dark secret, which means he must win a rich bride. Lucinda Potter seems ideal. Not for her beauty and her lively charm, but because at first meeting she seems unlikely to realize the truth.

As he comes to know her, however, as they spar and kiss, he realizes she’s too clever and honest by far. Marrying Lucy would mean living a lie with the woman he has come to love….

What worked for me (and what didn’t): It’s been 7 years since I read a Rogues book. Not all of the Rogues feature here and most of them aren’t on page very much. Nicholas Delaney does his usual machinations to make things turn out right but once he’s done his deed, he’s out of the story too. It was nice to visit with the Rogues again but I can’t say this book was particularly memorable for me. There wasn’t all that much keeping Lucy and David apart and when they are faced with a problem, acting like the sensible adults they are, they talk about it frankly – and the obstacle is thus quickly resolved. That meant, as much as I appreciated they were grown ups who could communicate, the tension quotient in the story was low.

The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne, narrated by Kirsten Potter

May 14, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a copy of the audiobook as a gift.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A glittering French aristocrat is on the run, disguised as a British governess. England’s top spy has a score to settle with her family. But as they’re drawn inexorably into the intrigue and madness of Revolutionary Paris, they gamble on a love to which neither of them will admit.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I briefly reviewed the print version of this book back in March 2011.

I said then:

I’ve had this one on my TBR for ages and I really don’t know what took me so long to read it. However, inspired by the DABWAHA tournament, I decided to pick it up. I’m very glad I did. This is kind of a prequel to Bourne’s first book, The Spymaster’s Lady. Set shortly after the revolution in France, it follows the story of English spy Doyle and French aristocrat Marguerite. Bourne has such a wonderful touch with prose. You can tell when the point of view is from an Englishman or a Frenchwoman – there’s just something in the way the words are placed which make it obvious. And her phrasing, the pictures painted with words are just beautiful. Here’s a couple I particularly noted:

She could become lost in this man, in territories of amazement, countries of sensation.

and

She did not rush to fill the silence up, in case LeBreton might have a use for it.

The connection between the characters, how they related to one another and saw through one another and did not jump to misplaced conclusions about one another was refreshing and much appreciated. At the start of the book, both the hero and heroine are pretending to be someone else – but rather than making it the obvious “Big Mis” story, Ms. Bourne told another (and much more satisfying) tale. I was so inspired, afterwards, I went and read The Spymaster’s Lady again and then I ordered My Lord & Spymaster too. When I checked the author’s website, I was happy to see that Adrian’s story is coming out later this year. I’m very much looking forward to his story – we meet Justine (his lady) in The Forbidden Rose.