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Strangers At Dawn |
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Elizabeth Thornton |
This is Thornton's newest historical romance, and I think, one of her best so far. Her heroine, Sara Carstairs, escaped the noose when she was acquitted of the murder of her brother-in-law, but apparently she made enemies in the process, one of whom is the aristocrat Max Worthe. Max's hobby is running a newspaper that covers sensational stories, such as Sara's trial. It was while he was covering the murder that Max decided Sara was guilty, and when she disappeared from the public eye, he began to search for her in order to prove her guilt, all the while persecuting her through the press.
Inevitably, Max and Sara meet again, but in the
moonlight they don't recognize each other's true identity. Sparks fly until the light dawns and Sara realizes she is falling in love with her nemesis. Max cannot forget Sara's innocent beauty, and starts to question his assumptions
about her guilt, but all his new found knowledge may have come too late since someone has decided it's time for Sara to pay the ultimate price for her crime.
This is, as I said, one of her best stories yet. The romance isn't silly or overshadowed by the mystery. Both elements are well written which is nice to find in a historical romance. It was also refreshing to have the
character's relationship develop more slowly than most romance stories.
I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Julie Garwood, Andrea Kane or
Amanda Quick.
Last Knight - Candace Proctor
Attica d'Alerion is a typical brave heroine who risks her life and love to preserve her brother's life and her family honour during a time of war and betrayal. Too bad there isn't much honour left for her to defend.
She disguises herself as a boy and runs away from her betrothed (a disgusting boy) to deliver a message of vital importance to her uncle. She is rescued along the way by a jaded, but noble knight named Damion de Jarnac, who is an agent on a mission for King Henry.
It isn't long before Damion discovers Attica's identity, and they fall in love. Unfortunately, though their hearts draw them together, their missions will tear then apart.
This is not bad, but I wouldn't call it a keeper. The characters were likeable, but the story lacked something. I'm not sure what, but if you read Julie Garwood or Amanda Quick you'll know what I mean.
| Morning Glory |  |
LaVyrle Spencer |
This has to be one of my favourite romances ever written. It has just the right amount of laughter, suspense and romance to appeal to almost anyone. The heroine of this novel is a young widow with two small children who is expecting another baby. She can't keep up with all the heavy work around her farm so she advertises for a husband in the local paper. Everyone in Whitney already believed Elly Dinsmore was crazy, and her add confirmed it.
An ex-con, (he was innocent - of course) answers her add. He is the good man in bad circumstances. Will Parker starts to clear away the junk around the yard, takes care of the animals and charms the children. When Elly decides he can stay, they marry and begin to fall in love.
The story is set during the Great Depression, right before the outbreak of World War Two. This backdrop provides lots of interesting twists and turns to the book. Murder, however, is the final curve in the road. Read it and find out what happens! This is one of those books I read in one stretch. You can do that when you don't have kids.
The author Brenda Joyce credits her muse for giving her the idea to write a historical mystery series set in New York city in 1902, but somehow I get the impression that she also owes a debt to Nora Roberts who has paved the way for other writers to branch out into the mystery genre. The idea that a mainline romance writer can also have a successful mystery series isn't new, but I think Nora Roberts, writing as J. D. Robb, has certainly proven how lucrative and popular such a series can be.
Francesca Cahill is a smart, ambitious young woman who has enrolled in college, when such a thing is considered very unladylike, and is a supporter of many worthwhile causes. She becomes embroiled in a mystery when her neighbours child is abducted while his parents are attending a party at the Cahill's home. During the investigation Francesca meets the new police Commissioner, Rick Bragg, and the attraction is as instantaneous as it is inexplicable.
Francesca somehow manages to find the mysterious notes the kidnapper leaves, before the police can locate them. I am somewhat confused by her role as amateur detective in this story. Her motivation to help seems weak, and her uncanny ability to decipher the notes' locations and meanings is strange. Where does she get her special knowledge? Why does she keep going to the police station, and why do they let her horn in?
I enjoyed this story, but it wasn't terribly well done. The writing is fine, but the story itself has problems. Unlike J. D. Robb's strong protagonists, Joyce's main characters lacked depth. The mystery plot was okay, but I thought the two main characters needed more to work with, especially in their personal relationship. There was very little real conflict or tension between Rick and Francesca, and this lack of chemistry is deadly in a romantic suspense book. Francesca's detecting was also very lame.
Borrow this if you want to, but I'm not sure if you would want to buy it. It was, as I said, not bad, but there are plenty of other books out there that are better. Perhaps Joyce should have ignored her muse this time.