Latest Mainstream Historical Romance

Reviewed by Francine.

It’s the North of England (1763) and the Enclosures Act has yet to be passed by Parliament (1773). Even so, small plots and common land are enclosed without application to Parliament, which occurred right through from the time of Charles II’s restoration. And this is where the author’s hero, James Blakiston, rides forth and affords insight to his position as overseer (land agent/steward). He is the very man who mediates in disputes and or negotiates terms between a landowner and his tenant cottagers, smallholders and farmers. Subsequently, Blakiston comes to know of the shady secrets of all the parishioners, the rector, and his lusty bible spouting curate.

 

As if Blakiston doesn’t have enough to contend with in his duties to his master, (his lordship), a rape and murder occurs in one of his lordship’s villages, which James must initially investigate as part of his working remit. But rumour abounds of hidden treasure spirited away, and what at first seems a simple case of murderous revenge, becomes a far more complicated puzzle to solve. Undaunted, Blakiston sets out to unravel the mystery of a man everyone despised: including the deceased’s own children. Such is no mean task for Blakiston hails from the lesser landed gentry, being that of a squire’s son. While subjected to sideways mistrusting glances from many, others benefit from his fair-minded policies. One young lady, below his rank, sees him for what he is, a lonely young man at heart. Little does Kate Greener know that Blakiston has a past he’s ashamed of, and although she stirs lust from within, he is what he has made of himself: A Just and Upright Man.

 

Blakiston treats Kate with respect, and while beating his heart into retreat, she too knows her place in the overall scheme of what is socially acceptable. But can social divide keep them apart, or can love overcome all obstacles set by society? J. R. Lynch has brought to life the country folk from up north, and that of the era in which they exist. This novel is on a par with Thomas Hardy’s meaty offerings of country life and the hardships of the less well off: those beholding to the super-rich of their day. The men who could make or break a family with one word: eviction. Although there’s a large cast of characters, the author introduces each with clarity through the eyes of Blakiston. A Just And Upright Man, is nothing short of a very enjoyable and worthwhile read. As this is Book 1 of a series, I can honestly say I’m looking forward to reading book 2.

 

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We have announced our second RRM awards for contemporary/historical romances, and a mainstream historical novel. Authors are under no obligation to accept an award. It is merely our way of recommending outstanding romance novels. Any novel reviewed at RRM will be considered for an award within the next six months.
January 2014

Mainstream


Romance



 

Contemporary




Links to point of sale can be found within the respective sub-genre listings top bar (above).

Latest Contemporary Review - Hiding from Hollywood

 

 

 

Reviewed by Charlotte.

 

 

Hollywood beckons for Abby Richards as it does for a lot of young hopefuls who dream of the glitz and glamour of starring in a BIG movie. A household name back home in Great Britain, Abby has walked away from a long-running television series. Sadly Abby’s experience of Hollywood has been dire. She blames herself for senseless naiveté in trusting others who exploit young starlets by devious means. The shame and degradation of her Hollywood experience threatens any chance of Abby regaining her acting career. She lives in dread of tabloid journalists discovering her whereabouts. Hiding out as a waitress in a downtown diner her hope is to remain anonymous. One customer though. The wrong customer and she could be exposed. When Ethan Walker walks through the diner door Abby senses the day of exposure has arrived He’s as bold and tenacious as a tabloid journalist. Ethan knows who she is. He’s been searching for her. Abby feels vulnerable. Ethan is not as imagined and little does Abby know her life can turn full circle if only she can bear to trust him. He does his best to make her see reason and listen to what he has to offer. Has her big chance to star in a movie finally come true or is the offer a ploy to exploit her as happened before? Trust being a two-way gamble Ethan lays his heart on the line. His intentions are honourable and it is up to Abby if she wants a grand HEA ending. I liked this novella, liked it a lot. It‘s well-written and nicely paced.

 

 

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Latest Contemporary Review - Lavender Days



Reviewed by Francine

Rummaging around in a loft is a risqué business, more especially when one hasn’t paid visit in a long while to the upper realm of discarded items. And for Gabriel, as with all glory holes, there is always something begging to be noticed, begging to be brought into the light. Though in Gabriel’s loft it’s a child’s plastic drawstring bag that draws the eye, and once Pandora’s (Jodi’s) bag is opened the past slowly unfolds drawing him back twenty years to the prime of his life and a brief affair. Did he do all that? Did he feel that way? His diary says he did. By gad, he was most definitely alive back then, and with the halcyon days of a Provence summer, it’s fair to say an American divorcée most definitely set his underpants on fire, and her daughter touched his heart, too.

 

This is a gem of a contemporary novella for anyone who loves a touch of humour, romance and great sense of time and place. For as Gabriel relives the past - through his diary and that of a sealed letter - a sprig of Lavender stirs the senses and nostalgia for honeyed days of blissful indulgence cloak about him. This is a lovely, lovely read.

 

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Latest Historical Review - A Twelfth Night Tale



 

Reviewed by Francine.

 A gloriously Romantic Novella set in and around a Christmas Theme.

 

This is a touching tale of first love and the enduring romanticism of what if. What if Lucy’s ideal hero (Andrew Livingston) would only look upon her as he might a woman he desires? Instead he sees Lucy as he always has, as merely his sister’s best friend. Already betrothed, Andrew is beyond her reach except within her dreams. She too has a suitor. Although Lord Bexley is far from her tastes in a romantic sense he has admirable qualities: albeit he’s a widower with children. But, to wed a viscount will not only enhance Lucy’s fortunes, the chance to secure marriages of relative status for her sibling sisters will also raise her family from the realms of impoverished finances.

 

While Lucy’s life seems on the up, such is not the case for Andrew Livingston. Recently returned from the Peninsular Wars, Andrew’s life has been scarred: physically and emotionally. Jilted by his bride to be, dark days surround him for he’s no longer the Andrew who went off to war a full-bodied man. And while seasonal festivities are schemed and set in motion, Lucy treats Andrew no differently than she had in the past. But, Andrew, aware of a child now blossomed to womanhood - a desirable and caring young woman at that – something within stirs the like he never thought to encounter. Dare he let his heart runaway with him, for if he does, can he outsmart Lord Bexley and declare his heart before it’s too late?

 

There’s a lot of story neatly packed and wrapped within “A Twelfth Night”. It’s not only beautifully crafted and sparing on wordiness, the author has seamlessly woven nuances of Lucy’s and Andrew’s past into the storyline without slowing the pace of a lively and enchanting plot. This is a sweet romance in the vein of Jane Austen, the latter being a woman of her time writing about her time, and Susana Ellis has captured that self same essence of family life and budding romances within Regency society. A lovely read.

 

 

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Latest Contemporary Review - On the cusp of going Historical

Reviewed by Nigella.

The novel is set in 1940 and 1950s post war USA. I wouldn’t in normal circumstances read a contemporary novel about post war America. But I loved it. The boy who sets the scene and brings hometown America to life is a delightful child. He loves his mom Hilde and dad Martin, who were wartime lovers. Unfortunately war leaves scars and their relationship is not as might be as a married couple. It’s a familiar story of love in wartime, and while Hilde must accept she stole a cheating husband from his wife she knows she can lose him in exactly the same way. Hilde does lose Martin and when she and Huey set out to build a new life far from Martin’s influence, she takes a job in a local diner. Ironically a similar situation has left Patrick West all alone and Patrick frequents the diner. Soon Hilde and Patrick find common ground. But the old saying ‘once bitten twice shy’ poses a major problem. The happy ever becomes a hard won affair for Hilde when ex partners step back into their lives. I really did like this story. Flashbacks from the present to the past flowed well, and all to the benefit of the reader. However, there are a few problems with past and present tenses within the text which could be ironed out with a little minor editing.

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Latest Historical Review - A Disappointing Purchase

A Purchase Review by Nigella.

If you're a lover of Regency novels, as I am, you'll know how easy it is when browsing Amazon to find yourself lured to books read by other readers. That is precisely what happened with books by this particular author. It's one of a series so I bought two by the same author. How sad it is when the books one has high hopes for are so badly written. I tried really hard to salvage something worthwhile from this novel. However, it left me cold. It was incredibly dull. The narrative laboured along without a shred of vibrancy to the prose and the characters were lack lustre. Was this meant to be a Regency? If so, it failed to reflect Jane Austen's Regency era. To me it read as a Bostonian novel, Boston USA and not one ounce of Englishness was evident. As it is the character names escape me. Which in itself bodes ill for any book. With book two browsed it is fair to say it holds no appeal whatsoever to this ardent fan of Regency romances. For me vibrant characters and beautiful prose are vital for any Regency novel.

It was stated in the book's details 'Cheryl Bolen returns to the Regency England she knows so well. . .If you love a steamy Regency with a fast pace, be sure to pick up The Bride Wore Blue. – Happily Ever After'.

Sadly the author's Regency England is wide of Georgette Heyer's Regency England, or that of Regency Bath. Regency street plans are all well and good for authors and do help in getting a feel for English cities. When real time Regency places of note escape the author entirely with exception the more famous venues, knowledgeable readers gasp in dismay. Which leads me to say Cheryl Bolan has missed out gems of places which would have convinced me she knows Regency England as well as her imagination does. A lonely widow and two admirers gave great potential for a riveting story. Instead the narrative trudged along and repetitive descriptions drove me to distraction. Steamy? Where? Had I bought a paperback version of the novel I am sure it would have met with a wall. My Kindle is too precious to toss around the room.                  
   

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Latest Historical Review - Regency Romance & Murder Mystery

 





 

 

Reviewed by Fran

 

1812, England:

Annabelle Lady Marchant has seemingly acquired psychic foresight, but is it a gift or a curse? Foresight is one thing, to fail in predicting the course of imminent murder another, thus the sceptics have seized the day and Annabelle is no longer the belle of London society. Nonetheless, the widow of the deceased, undaunted by gossip, has sought Annabelle's help in setting free a restless spirit within her Cheshire home. Her son, Rufus Earl of Terrance, faced with the dire task of proving himself innocent of having murdered his father, is already en route to Cheshire. So too, is Annabelle.

The manner in which Annabelle and Rufus happen to cross paths sets precedence for friction and future altercation, and he's damned if he'll have the psychic witch under his roof. What is more, the earl, rightly or wrongly, has acquired a rather unsavoury title from amidst his estate workers and estate tenants. Steadfast in standing her ground, Annabelle determines his behaviour as outlandish and crude, and all rather amusing when she and his mother outsmart him. As time passes the sparks between Annabelle and Rufus become less prone to scorching each other's pride and prejudices, and instead fires of the heart burn with equal measure. Even as love takes hold neither is willing to concede defeat in either of their individual quests. Spirits of the dead are all the while revealing hidden truths with unsettling frequency, until the villain is finally unmasked. A beastly Scandal is a delightful tale involving murder, mystery and paranormal elements that are sometimes amusing and often heart-rending.

 

 

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Latest Historical Review

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by Nigella.

 

 

Lord Love a Duke.

It would seem - though I cannot be sure - the author set out to allude to the old English idiom ‘Lord Luv a Duck' within in her title. At least, I hope that was the overall intention. The idiom itself ‘Lord Luv a Duck‘ means ‘stunned or dismayed!’

 

The novel is almost literary word perfect. However, the essay style of the text left a little to be desired, as did head-hopping from character to character. Again forgivable because the novel is well written. The dialogue is crisp and humorous. The overall plot is a tried and tested popular Regency storyline. Fortunately Ms Reynolds spins a good and original yarn, in which the young duke of Dorset lives in hope of seeing his sister betrothed. In order to achieve his aim he plans a country house party and invites potential suitors for Miranda to choose from. His sister is a feisty minx and has plans of her own to outwit her brother. At the start of this novel I found the duke's situation and that of his sister rather amusing.  Sadly, at the point where I began to warm to the duke’s capricious sister Miranda, she shouts 'Bugger off!' to her brother. This incident spoilt the read and threw me out of the Regency era. Unwilling to cast the novel aside I did read on as the duke's family, friends and guests are gambolling along in horse drawn carriages en route for Sussex. All are destined for a country house. On arrival Miranda schemes and conjures pranks in order to humiliate her brother. Her friend Lady Juliet is little better. Goaded by Miranda, Juliet exploits all avenues to play further silly jokes on Miranda's brother. Miranda in the meanwhile outsmarts ardent suitors and Juliet falls madly in love with the duke. The duke is likewise smitten and idolises Juliet. And there comes the happy ever after! The rest of the characters are adult in nature and the end is fittingly sweet. I rate Lord Love a Duke as a rollicking sweet YA Regency romp.

 

IMHO Lord Luv a Duck stunned and dismayed with Miranda's first 'bugger off!' Miranda sadly swore time and time again and all sense of her as a titled Regency lady fell by the wayside.       

 

 

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Latest Contemporary Romantic Suspense

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by Charlotte.

 

This is an American FBI based romantic suspense. We’re given a female agent - a complex stalker, and a classic covert romance budding between fellow agents. Thankfully that’s not all the author has given the reader. The heroine, Jess, has emotional problems linked to her past. Her love interest, Tom, similarly has a past he would rather forget. Neither reveals their covert feelings for one another, and I rather liked the way the author enlightens the reader to their innermost thoughts. This could easily have turned into a tired old cliché plot of agents shooting their way through crisis after crisis, then falling in love and straight off to bed. Ms Ford, though, luckily spins a little magic into her story with a dead agent brought back to life. And so the plot thickens. But who is watching Jess besides a dead agent, and who is stalking her? The more Jess puzzles over gathered evidence the more she fears the outcome. What is worse, the killer knows her name. Ordered off the case, Jess retreats to a safe haven. Jess is far from safe. Tom is far from safe. And the hero of the day is far from the expected hero. Well done Ms Ford for putting a jolly good twist in this tale. As a debut novelist I sense Ms Ford’s writing will grow with each new book she undertakes to write.

 

 

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