Madeline Hunter is a talented writer, but this novella did not work for me at all. Adam Prescott, the Baron of Thornhill, is kidnapped by a mysterious lady and gentleman after he briefly exits a mail coach on his way to his cousin’s home for Christmas. He’s held at gunpoint and carried off to a mysterious estate. Caroline’s animosity and kidnapping bewilders Adam, but he is nonetheless attracted to her. Because falling in love with … Continue reading A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter →
A Perfect Match starts out with so much promise but it fizzles out into an uninspiring finish. Unlike the preceding novella, the “kidnapping” in this one is relatively benign. Lord Heywood has traveled away from his military regiment in order to protect his friend Douglas’s sister Kitty from a dastardly villain. When he spots the villain Malet making plans to elope with Kitty at a ball, he takes desperate measures and “kidnaps” Kitty and her … Continue reading A Perfect Match by Sabrina Jeffries →
This review was very, very difficult for me to write. I’ve spent most of the past day wondering if I overreacted or was being too sensitive. Hours later, I’ve come to three conclusions: My feelings are 100% valid. The content is harmful enough that I feel obligated to rant and warn readers about it. One Wicked Winter Night contains racist drivel that should’ve never been cleared for publication. The premise is… you know what, the … Continue reading One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney →
I love road trips (as long as I don’t have to drive or navigate or really do anything other than eat snacks and sing early 2000s pop music). But I really love road trip books: the forced and shared isolation, the constant of the interior space against the changing of the external, the stops along the way, and the road itself: what it means and what it makes possible. So with all my love of … Continue reading Along for the Ride by Mimi Grace →
Marry in Secret is the third book in Anne Gracie’s Marriage of Convenience series. The series follows the Rutherford family, and this is the story of Rose, the eldest sister. This novel works as a standalone, but it’s definitely better read in context – Gracie writes lovely, complex webs of characters and families, and it’s a shame to miss out on that. In the prior books, Rose has been characterised as beautiful, very headstrong, and … Continue reading Marry in Secret by Anne Gracie →
Heiress Gone Wild is the fourth book in the Lady Truelove series. It stands alone – I have read the first book in the series, but not the others, and while characters from the previous books make appearances in the book, you certainly don’t need to know their stories to read this one. The story starts when Jonathan Deverill goes to collect his new ward, the daughter of an old friend, from her school in … Continue reading Heiress Gone Wild by Laura Lee Guhrke →
The Infinite Noise is a YA love story and also a superhero origin story. It’s also a story in which nothing much happens. If you like m/m romance with angsty teens, this is fine, but because of the superpower angle I expected more plot and none is forthcoming. The entire book reads like a very slow prequel that never pays off. Caleb and Adam are both sixteen. Caleb wears sports gear/Adam wears Emo shirts/Caleb plays football/Adam’s … Continue reading The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen →
I am not in the mood for Christmas yet. Generally speaking, I’m not in the mood for Christmas on December 23rd even, but mid-fall is WAY too early. That said, my brain has been pretty tired lately and some Regency novellas sounded like the perfect way to unwind without investing in a full length novel. Since How the Duke Stole Christmas includes novellas by some of my favorite authors, I was willing to set aside … Continue reading How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan and Joanna Shupe →
A Treason of Thorns has beautiful writing and an excitingly original concept. Sadly, the quality of the pace and the characters doesn’t match the quality of the concept, and the book raises questions that are not fully answered. This has a romance in it, although it’s more of a fantasy that includes a romance than a romance novel, per se. The dominant relationship is not that between people but rather that between a person and a … Continue reading A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth →
Hollow Kingdom is NOT a romance novel, I repeat NOT a romance novel. However, I believe some of our readers will, like me, see the crow and dog on the front cover and the octopus on the back and say “GIVE IT TO MEEE.” This review is for you. Much profanity ahead. TW for gore, profanity, violence between animals, and gratuitous Cheeto® consumption. This is not Bambi. Actually, Bambi was terrifying, so…maybe it is Bambi, if Bambi … Continue reading Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton →
I love creepy romance; before I started reading romance novels I read Old Skool Gothics by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox contained some Gothic elements, but it’s really a historical romance with suspense elements. I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere, but I found the romantic development to be a little weak and I wasn’t happy with how the mystery was laid out. The novel is set in Pale … Continue reading The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox →
