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 […]
Another Historical Romance, but with an Adjacent Competitor [Cue Duelling Banjos]
Between the Devil and Ian Eversea by Julie Anne Long
Malin beat me to it… Tansy Danforth is isolated, orphaned, and looking to a family friend to help her both settle in a new country and, this is a historical romance after all, marry to gain access to her inheritance. Fortunately for Julie Anne Long fans, the friend is Alex Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge who, along with Genevieve his duchess, is from Long’s classic romance pairing in What I Did for a Duke. Tansy is staying at the Eversea estate in Pennyroyal Green while she […]
Mad about Milan
Historicals aren’t my go-to romance genre of choice, but I sure am drawn to the silk Courtney Milan is spinning. Unlocked is a novella in the Turner series (aka the BEST series) and it’s only tangentially related because some character is casually acquainted with one of the Turners, but no matter. It’s a great little I-hate-you-but-I-love-you story that transcends its somewhat cliched underpinnings due to the strength of Milan’s writing. Plot-wise, it’s very simple: Lady Elaine was the subject of some pretty harsh Regency-era bullying (“Your […]
Another Historical Romance, But a Delightful Novella
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright is a gem. A delightful Regency romance pared down to its bare bones, this quick read is a perfect of example of what a novella can be and why I love them. There are no machinations, diversions, or distractions. Tessa Dare provides a witty, bright, engaging love story focused entirely on the winning main characters. Owing to a pubescent scandal, Eliza Cade has been sentenced to wait to enter society until her older sisters are married. Hers is an […]
Another Historical Romance, But Really a Romp
Road trip! I first read A Week to Be Wicked about two years ago when I started devouring every historical romance I could get my hands on. It is a wonderful romp and an entertaining read. It hits on all of Tessa Dare’s best aspects as a writer: Smolder. Really, really, good smolder. Lisa Kleypas level smolder. Funny of the laugh out loud variety. Witty, too. Sincere emotion successfully balanced against the aforementioned humour. At least one hysterical turn of phrase describing a man’s specific […]