I simply could not let more days pass gazing longingly at the three Milan novels on my Kindle that I’ve been saving for a rainy day. I’d heard ’round these parts that The Heiress Effect is probably the least favorite book of the Brothers Sinister series, so I went in with tempered expectations. And what do you know — with those expectations so dialed down, they were exceeded! Mostly. Here’s what I loved: Miss Jane Fairfield, the heiress in question, is a sharp, witty, confident, […]
Love for all seasons
So here in the heart of summer, I decided to dive into Mrs. Julien’s Shameful Tally, starting with her “Classics” and “Favorites” sections. I’m familiar, of course, with Courtney Milan — if a little behind in reading because I keep trying to “save” them for the perfect day — but I’ve been growing more interested in historicals and Mrs. J’s streamlined list of favorite titles and authors is exactly what I need to jump in. (How easy it is to piggyback on the work of others!) Two […]
Another Historical Romance, But with Scarlet Pimpernel Adjacence
The Secret History Pink Carnation is the first book of eleven (so far) in Lauren Willig’s historical romance series of the same name. Each novel has a framing device featuring a PhD student combing through nineteenth century documents for her thesis research on aristocratic spies and the relation of what she finds as a romantic adventure story. Willig’s writing is light and clever and The Secret History Pink Carnation had a kind of breezy musical comedy tone. It bounced along as a charmingly written and […]
Another Historical Romance. Who Else Is Sensing a Theme?
The first chapter of the historical romance It Takes a Scandal is akin to seminar on how to successfully create a sympathetic hero. Sebastian Vane has been stripped of everything he held dear and that will help him make his way in the world. Seriously injured fighting Napoleon (not personally), his mentally ill father is sinking daily into greater and more unmanageable derangement, but not before selling portions of the family estate for a pittance. Sebastian loses everything except his dignity and even that he […]