Tara and I loved The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, a slow-paced f/f romance that is a standalone novel in the “Feminine Pursuits” series by Olivia Waite. I (Carrie) raved about The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics so I was very excited for this book. Although you don’t have to have read that book to enjoy this one, you’ll recognize one of the main characters, Agatha, if you have. Agatha Griffin is a printer … Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite →
I’ve been having a lot of trouble finishing books recently. My mind is distracted, and while I can concentrate well enough on the things I need to do for work or around the house, my ability to fall into a book and lose myself there seems to have evaporated. So when I found myself carrying my Kindle from room to room as I went about my business, reading with one eye on the screen while … Continue reading Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James →
Triggers: Minerva is the survivor of an abusive relationship, and while there are no flashbacks, her trauma is well drawn. One character also witnessed/was complicit in a suicide and it’s fairly disturbing to read about. There is also attempted sexual assault of the heroine. Heiress for Hire is, on the face of it, a proper Regency romp. We have two lively and intelligent protagonists, a large quantity of plot, plenty of humour, Dark Secrets, and … Continue reading Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter →
A Duke by Any Other Name was exactly the book my anxiety brain needed right now. I’ll be honest, I found previous books in the series to be a bit slow, but right now I will take all the details of Regency living. Give me pages about when is the best time to separate the irises in the walled garden. Descriptions of the famous cheese-with-dill the heroine’s estate produces? Yes, please. Aside from being incredibly … Continue reading A Duke by Any Other Name by Grace Burrowes →
How to Catch an Errant Earl is the second in Amy Rose Bennett’s “Disreputable Debutantes” series. It has a loveable heroine but the hero is such a douchebag that I simply could not even. The heroine of this novel is Miss Arabella Jardin. She is one of four friends who were expelled from Mrs. Rathbone’s Academy for Young Ladies of Good Character for “conduct unbecoming.” I assume we hear more about this in the first … Continue reading How to Catch an Errant Earl by Amy Rose Bennett →
Before reading Julia Quinn’s latest release, First Comes Scandal, I hadn’t read anything in about two months. Strange, because like most romance readers I am ALWAYS reading something and because (like most romance readers) I always have books waiting for me. But as the time since my last read led into our current moment, the idea of picking up a book to read felt even further away. I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming … Continue reading First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn →
The Earl Takes a Fancy is, at most, one half of a sort of OK book – the half that belongs to the protagonist, Fancy Trewlove. The other half of the book belongs to Matthew Sommersby, Earl of Rosemont, and tragically, he is garbage. For a romance to work, I must have some attachment to both characters and want them to be together, and in this book, such is not the case. This book is … Continue reading The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath →
I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m making my way through the Cadfael mysteries. Whenever the quarantimes get too overwhelming, I head off to Wales-adjacent England in the 1100s to hang out with a former solider now monk who brews wine and herbal remedies, solves murders, and often unites star-crossed lovers (and sometimes flirts with ladies, too). There’s a soothing, slow-paced atmosphere to the Cadfael series, like the literary version of dust sparkles over a … Continue reading The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters →
Desperate times call for feel-good romance novels. To Have and To Hoax is just what the doctor ordered: a gulp of serotonin disguised as a Regency romp. It isn’t a permanent escape from stress and fear, but hopefully it’ll help you forget your troubles for a few hours. It certainly did so for me. Lord and Lady James Audley began their first year of marriage as besotted lovers. They ended their first year of marriage … Continue reading To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters →
I’ve read most of this series, and it’s among my favorite comfort reads. I’ve mentioned this before, but I started reading this series in Japan, when jet lag would gift me with a hard wake-up at 3am and I’d have no ability to get back to sleep. My memories of these characters are indelibly mixed with being wrapped in a duvet, hiding under the covers so the light from my e-reader wouldn’t wake everyone up. … Continue reading A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber →
In Chasing Cassandra, the sixth book in the Ravenels series, railway magnate Tom Severin finally gets his turn to be the hero. I have been hoping for a book about Tom since he was introduced in the first book in the Ravenels series. After all, I love to read about a Sad Historical Businessman brought low by love! Unfortunately, while I enjoyed this book, it also pained me because I felt like it could have … Continue reading Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas →
