Unusual Historical Highlights for March 2020

Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? Our unwelcome guest COVID-19. The library system I work for is closed to the public and I oversee the division that is responsible for all the delightful items you find on the physical shelves and in our digital collections. So keeping that machine running, while reconfiguring staff schedules and work spaces has meant no time for reading or Romancelandia. And let me tell ya, I miss it y’all. So let’s take a collective break and enjoy looking at some new Unusual Historicals out this month. And lucky for us, it’s a bonanza!

Lady of Secrets by G.S. Carr

Her secret mission. A country divided. His impossible love.  

Henrietta Wright is a Free Colored woman who teaches reading and writing to anyone who enters her classroom. At least she was, until a drunken night with friends catapults her down a path of intrigue, coded messages, and intelligence operations. All in service of the Union Army. She can’t tell anyone what she’s doing, including the handsome Irishman she knows she shouldn’t want, but can’t seem to resist.  

Since stepping on to American soil, Elijah Byrne’s only goal has been to survive another day. That is until Henrietta burst into his life and made him want more. She was never meant to be his - her fiancé can attest to that - but she makes him long for things men like him aren’t lucky enough to have. When she asks for his help, he can’t resist tumbling with her into a clandestine expedition that could cost them everything—including their lives. 

I have Suzanne to thank for bringing this one to my attention! An accidental spy heroine, an Irish hero and all the intrigue that Civil War spying has to offer. Carr has three books under her belt already, so if I find this one to be a winner I’ve got a ready backlist to glom on to.

The Last Kiss by Sally Malcolm (Kindle Unlimited)

A tender and triumphant story of forbidden love in the aftermath of war  

When Captain Ashleigh Dalton went to war in 1914, he never expected to fall in love. Yet, over three long years at the front, his dashing batman, Private West, became his reason for fighting—and his reason for living.  

For Harry West, an ostler from London’s East End, it was love at first sight when he met complex, compassionate Captain Dalton. Harry knew their friendship wouldn’t survive in the class-bound world back home, but in the trenches there was no point in worrying about tomorrow…  

Now, gravely wounded, Ash has been evacuated home to Highcliffe House, his father’s Hampshire estate. Bereft of Harry, angry and alone, Ash struggles to fit into the unchanging world he left behind. Meanwhile, Harry, broken-hearted, doubts he’ll ever see his beloved captain again. But when the guns fall silent and Harry finds himself adrift in London, a desperate hope carries him to Highcliffe House in search of work—and of the officer he can’t forget… 

Facebook isn’t always a disaster (ok, just most of the time…). I have a Joanna Chambers post to thank for putting this one on my radar. I find that power dynamics in romance can be very interesting if done well, and this romance between a commissioned officer and his batman (basically a servant) as they navigate through the horrors of World War I and returning to post-War life has me practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

Silent Sin by E.J. Russell (Kindle Unlimited)

When tailor Marvin Gottschalk abandoned New York City for the brash boomtown of silent-film-era Hollywood, he never imagined he'd end up on screen as Martin Brentwood, one of the fledgling film industry's most popular actors. Five years later a cynical Martin despairs of finding anything genuine in a town where truth is defined by studio politics and publicity. Then he meets Robbie Goodman.

Robbie fled Idaho after a run-in with the law. A chance encounter leads him to the film studio where he lands a job as a chauffeur. But one look at Martin and he's convinced he's likely to run afoul of those same laws--laws that brand his desires indecent, deviant... sinful.  

Martin and Robbie embark on a cautious relationship, cocooned in Hollywood's clandestine gay fraternity, careful to hide from the studio boss, a rival actor, and reporters on the lookout for a juicy story. But when tragedy and scandal rock the town, igniting a morality-based witch hunt fueled by a remorseless press, the studio brass will sacrifice even the greatest careers to defend their endangered empire. Robbie and Martin stand no chance against the firestorm--unless they stand together. 

I love, love, love this era in California history and how am I expected to resist a romance between a jaded Hollywood star and his chauffeur? With all the complications and obstacles standing in the way of said romance? I just - give this to me now. Like seriously, right now.

Stolen by the Viking by Michelle Willingham

Bought for his vengeance  

But claimed for his bed!  

Battle-scarred Viking Alarr is a broken warrior who expects to die carrying out his oath of blood vengeance. He saves maiden Breanne î Callahan from slavery only with the intention of getting close enough to kill her foster father. Until their spark of passion ignites a desire to keep her close…and presents Alarr with a gut-wrenching choice—his revenge or his heart? 

Willingham is a fine purveyor of angst and I love when she’s working with Vikings and in the medieval time period in general. This one is the start of a new multi-author series for Harlequin Historical which will include future books by Harper St. George, Michelle Styles and Jenni Fletcher. 

Saved by Her Enemy Warrior by Greta Gilbert

Entombed with her enemy…  

Will her heart remain unscathed?  

Left to die in the tomb of her beloved Pharaoh Tausret, royal adviser Aya would be silenced forever by those who seek power. But she is not alone! Egyptian soldier Intef is there to steal her mistress’s gold. Now they must work together to escape. This handsome warrior is Aya’s enemy, yet it’s passion not hatred that burns between them. Can their desire withstand the revelations that await them outside? 

I can safely say I’ve never seen the forced proximity trope set in an Egyptian tomb before! Plus it’s got a little Enemy to Lovers thrown in for added spice!

Stay safe Romancelandia. Wash your hands, and practice good social distancing by staying home and reading a book. What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading next?

Delayed #TBRChallenge Post: Can't Sleep Clowns'll Eat Me

So COVID-19 has taken over my life in a big way at The Day Job. Long days. Many in a row. Working on days off.  Trying to get staff situated, reworking schedules, tweaking workflows to accommodate said reworkings.  Fun times!

So needless to say I'm not meeting my own #TBRChallenge deadline.  I do hope to get the book I picked out read, um eventually, and post a review later - and I'm hoping to land back into some work/life balance soon.  In the meantime, stay safe Romancelandia.  Be kind to each other.

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day Is March 18!

A reminder that #TBRChallenge day is Wednesday, March 18.  This month's (always optional) theme is Seasons.

In a bid to shake some dust off the Challenge, I decided to toss in a few more "open-ended" themes this year.  "Seasons" can be whatever wish it to be. Take a look at your TBR and see how this theme could tie into some of the books lingering there.

However, if you're not in the mood, can't be bothered, whatever your reasons may be....no problem!  Remember, the themes are always optional.

You can learn more about the Challenge and see the list of participating folks on the Information Page.

Cover Reveal: Her Lady's Honor by Renee Dahlia

This blog has existed 17 years and in all that time, as incredible as this is going to sound, I have never once hosted a Cover Reveal. Not ever. The honor of the first Bat Cave Cover Reveal is going to be a book, that if you've read this blog for any stretch of time, will come as no surprise. What sort of book gets Wendy to finally hop on the Cover Reveal Bandwagon?  An usual historical set post-World War I. Because, of course!

Her Lady's Honor by Renee Dahlia

The war might be over, but the battle for love has just begun.  

When Lady Eleanor “Nell” St. George arrives in Wales after serving as a veterinarian in the Great War, she doesn’t come alone. With her is her former captain’s beloved warhorse, which she promised to return to him—and a series of recurring nightmares that torment both her heart and her soul. She wants only to complete her task, then find refuge with her family, but when Nell meets the captain’s eldest daughter, all that changes. 

Beatrice Hughes is resigned to life as the dutiful daughter. Her mother grieves for the sons she lost to war; the care of the household and remaining siblings falls to Beatrice, and she manages it with a practical efficiency. But when a beautiful stranger shows up with her father’s horse, practicality is the last thing on her mind.  

Despite the differences in their social standing, Beatrice and Nell give in to their unlikely attraction, finding love where they least expect it. But not everything in the captain’s house is as it seems. When Beatrice’s mother disappears under mysterious circumstances, Nell must overcome her preconceptions to help Beatrice, however she’s able. Together they must find out what really happened that stormy night in the village, before everything Beatrice loves is lost—including Nell.

CW: Domestic violence, suicide, war-related deaths and injuries (humans and horses), death and disability caused by pre-vaccine era, race riots (not detailed on page but discussed by characters), slavery and Highland Clearances (discussion on where Nell's family made their money).

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Her Lady's Honor will be published by Carina Press on June 22, 2020 and is available for preorder.

Places to find Renee: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub

 

Happy Birthday Blog, Be Home By Curfew

17 years ago, when dinosaurs were still roaming the Internet, social media didn't exist, Amazon/Google/Facebook weren't vying for The Literal Worst Award, and I knew a lot less about the dirty laundry lurking in corners of book publishing, I started this blog. I was still a young, optimistic, entry-level-ish librarian working in a one-horse Midwestern town and shopping at Waldenbooks.  For those of you now asking the question "Walden What Now?!?!" you have no idea what you missed out on. Seriously, those were the days.

And here I am - all these years later.  Older, crankier, but still loving romance, still believing in the job that gets me out of bed everyday and pays the bills but now working in an area where eleventy billion live with not enough affordable housing to go around. The world's on fire, I know WAY more than I ever wanted to about publishing and authors in general, and yes...I still love romance.

I've been around so long, have written for so many defunct online publications (The Romance Reader, Reader's Gab, Romancing the Blog, Heroes & Heartbreakers...) but the one constant has been this mighty blog. There were years I wrote great blog posts and years I've written terrible ones and years I've barely hung on by my fingernails (pretty much where I've been in the last 3-4 years).  I have all the authority and gravitas in Romancelandia as a slightly wilted plant you forgot that you stuffed in a corner, but 17 years here and 21 years in Romancelandia (in general) affords me...well something.  Probably a secret decoder ring in the bottom of a cereal box.  So in honor of this auspicious occasion I thought it was time to offer some advice to Romancelandia that nobody asked for but I'm going to give anyway.  Because, again, old and cranky.

1) Read. What. You. Want. Yes, even if the cool kids aren't reading it.

2) That being said, don't be afraid to try a new author, revisit a trope you may not be wild about, expand your horizons. There's A LOT in the genre these days. Sample the buffet.

3) So much I want to say here along the lines of "don't be a racist bigoted jackhole" and "stop denying anyone their right to basic humanity" but I think I'll just settle for the more succinct Don't Be A Jerk.  Love is an amazing, beautiful universal human emotion. People who read and write romance (for cripes sake!) should have no issue with embracing that and yet here we are. 

4) Unplug for your mental health. Or as I like to call it - get the hell off Twitter every once in a while. However long that needs to be to maintain some shred of sanity.

5) It's OK to like problematic sh*t.  No, really - it is.  But recognize it. Own it. Don't get your hackles up about it. You know what's sexy? Self-awareness. Maybe unpack some of that personal baggage. Nobody is saying you have to flaunt it all over the Interwebs but my kingdom for a little reader and writer introspection.

6) And for the record - ALL Y'ALL LIKE PROBLEMATIC SH*T.  You're not special.  It smells like fertilizer left out in the sun just like everybody else's problematic faves.

7) There are no cool kids.  Oh sure, everybody THINKS there are cool kids which just leads to massive inferiority complexes.  I feel like I need a button that says Radically Uncool Blogger Since 2003.

8) It's totally OK to not like something. Even if it's a book that all the mythical cool kids are raving about.  Oh the books I've disliked over the years.  The books I'm like, "Really, what now?!"  You're not alone.  It's just that thanks to social media vacuums and sucky people sucking it's super hard to find any hint of "discourse" when talking books anymore.  It's all a Cacophony of Squee.  Which leads me too...

9) Not everything is a squee. For the love of all the deities.  Reminder: I'm old and cranky and yell at clouds a lot.

10) Find your voice, raise it up, support folks in Romancelandia you want to support.

11) Never, ever be ashamed of reading something that makes you happy.  Don't let anyone dim your sunshine. Even cranky old librarians who yell at clouds.

It's been a wild 17 years on this blog. A lot has happened. Some for good, some for ill. But I still love ya Romancelandia. Shine on.

Unusual Historical Top Picks for February 2020

Here we are in February 2020 and I feel like this year is out to get me. I’m starting to take it personally. My reading so far has been fairly lackluster and the continued RWA crisis has now devolved into me keeping a small pillow on my desk for fear of repeated concussions. Hey, at least I have half-priced Valentine’s Day candy and a new crop of unusual historicals to cheer me up. Here are the February publications catching my eye:

An Unconventional Affair by Stacy Reid (Kindle Unlimited)

Maximillian Langdon, Earl Kentwood, is the author of the ton’s most salacious erotic literature: A guide to passionate romps between a lord and his lady. His name whispers on the tongues of gentlemen and ladies in shocked and admiring tones. Everyone believes he is London’s greatest lover, except Lord Kentwood is still a virgin. Now he's determined to rectify that situation before being revealed as a fraud, and London’s latest on dit!  

With a reputation forever tarnished by scandal, Lady Amelie Weatherston is resigned to an unfulfilled life. She is also a member of a secret widow’s club. Her mission: to seduce London’s most delectable lover and report her findings to help her wicked widow friends keep their protectors happy! A passionate affair de Coeur starts and for a time banishes the loneliness in her heart. The earl of debauchery is not what he seems, and Amelie finds herself falling in love with a man who might never see her as more than a wicked widow not worthy of his heart. 

Get. In. My. Eyeballs. Now. Yes, we’ve all read this story before but Reid takes it, flips the script, and puts the shoe on the opposite genders’ foot. The virgin hero (not heroine) writing salacious novels. The rakish heroine (not hero) who has been tasked with unmasking the debauched writer’s secrets. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Into the Lyon’s Den by Jade Lee (Kindle Unlimited)

Intrigue makes for strange bedfellows...  

Elliott, Lord Byrn, often found himself in strange places, but none is more bizarre than the infamous Lyon’s Den gaming house in a tony part of London. The gambling doesn’t surprise him, nor the salacious things rumored to happen in the upstairs rooms. What shocks him is a slip of a girl jeweler/fence who bargains with him over a missing brooch. He needs her to refashion the thing before anyone else realizes it is missing and she drives a hard bargain.

Harder than he can imagine...  

Amber Gohar lives her days in the gray world of a gambling hell, but she dreams of escaping into the vibrant world of the ton. When the opportunity arises for her to spend just one night at a society ball, she grabs it with both hands, never expecting that she would also be taking hold of a man who set her heart on fire. But once she realizes what she’s done, she won’t let go. She can’t. Happily ever after doesn’t come easily, or for free, in the world of The Lyon's Den.  

How these two unlikely bedfellows discover their best bargain will set both the ton, and The Lyon’s Den, on fire. 

A hero with his back against a wall and a heroine who drives a hard bargain to parlay her way into catching a glimpse of life among society’s elite. The promise of built-in tension with a cross-class romance and how the author is going to work that into a happy ending is always something I’m intrigued by.

Uncovering the Merchant's Secrets by Elisabeth Hobbes

A man with no past… could she hold the key to his future?  

Shipwrecked merchant Jack Langdon wakes with no memory and steals a kiss from a beautiful stranger—widow Blanche Tanet. As he recovers in her castle, passion flares between them. Jack’s fascinated by her independence and courage but, discovering his identity is not what it seems. Jack must first uncover the secrets of his own past if they’re to have a future together… 

I like medievals but to be brutally honest, it’s a lot of knights. Hobbes is one of my go-to authors writing in this time period and hello there, we have a merchant hero with amnesia! And a widowed heroine! And flaring passions! Huzzah!

Freedom’s Price by Jenna Kernan (Kindle Unlimited)

Gritty, sweeping tale of love, resilience and tenacity in the New World wilds of Virginia.  

To survive on his newly cleared land outside Jamestown, Thomas Deed needs a field hand, not a wet-nurse. But instead of doing the rational thing, he fulfills a deathbed promise to protect his sister’s son, borrowing against his land to acquire a woman to care for the babe. Mary Price surprises him, adapting to her harsh surroundings and quickly becoming a godsend.  

Newly arrived mother, Mary Price, must stay with Deed during the term of her service or lose all hope of reunion with her sister. She vows to work so hard that he will never give her up but succeeds in ways she never expected. As they struggle against the wilderness, his spirit to protect and provide for her and the babes stirs her to unrealized desire and makes her long to stay at his side.  

But when fate tests them both, will Deed give her up or find a way to keep her for a lifetime? 

Kernan wrote this book on the advice of an editor who suggested she try a different time period. What the editor failed to mention was that the publisher wouldn’t buy anything in the American Colonial time period. However it was too late, Kernan was hooked on the idea and completed the book even though she was advised by nearly everybody that the audience for such a book would be too small. Well here’s your chance colonial fans! Prove ‘em wrong!

Duke Darcy’s Castle by Syrie James

Lance Granville, the Tenth Duke of Darcy, was none too happy to give up his career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title, complete with an ancient castle he needs to renovate. When an architect arrives on his doorstep, Darcy is astonished to discover that she’s a woman.  

Kathryn Atherton has one goal: to become the first woman architect in Britain. Marriage doesn’t figure in her plans. Despite the odds, her schooling is behind her. Now she needs experience. When she’s sent to a small tidal island in Cornwall to remodel a castle, the last thing Kathryn wants is to be attracted to its roguishly handsome owner.  

Kathryn is determined to keep things professional, but the sizzling attraction between her and the duke quickly blazes out of control. When Darcy learns that Kathryn is an heiress whose fortune would save St. Gabriel’s Mount, he wages the most important battle of his life: to woo and win the woman who’s captured his heart. But duchesses can’t be architects. And Kathryn has worked too long and too hard to give up her dreams… 

Two words: Lady. Architect. OK, two more words: Ancient. Castle. One word: Swoon.

What unusual historicals are you looking forward to reading?

#TBRChallenge 2019: A Temporary Arrangement

The Book: A Temporary Arrangement by Roxanne Rustand

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harlequin SuperRomance #1362, 2006, book 3 in trilogy, out of print, not available digitally (at time of this review posting).

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: The used bookstore price stamp was still on the front cover.  My guess is I read a plot description somewhere (most likely RT Book Reviews) and it made me curious enough to pick up a copy.  It's the only book by this author I had in my print TBR and 2006 was before I converted my Harlequin spending habit to digital.

The Review: I had a brain fart this month and picked my read based on the incorrect assigned "optional" theme.  I still managed to make the Friends theme work with this book, but unfortunately that didn't elevate the story.  This one is a mess y'all.

Abby Cahill is a nursing instructor who is looking to brush up her resume with some more recent clinical experience prior to moving to California. She accepts a job offer at Blackberry Hill Memorial, a small hospital in picturesque small town summer tourist area Wisconsin.  The director of nursing is retiring and the replacement can't come on board until September.  Abby has agreed to serve as an interim director for the summer.

Unfortunately the apartment complex she was slated to move into has had a fire and now she has no place to live.  Tourist season is underway and housing options are limited to non-existent.  She rents a place from a cantankerous old coot with super-sonic hearing and she's quickly evicted thanks to her BFF's kids (more on that in a bit).  The answer to her prayers?  Ethan Matthews, a reclusive wildlife biologist who shows up in the ER needing emergency surgery.  Surgery that requires him to be evac'ed to The Big City hospital. That leaves his son without someone to watch him (Ethan's ex-wife is out of town on business), Abby steps in to watch the kid overnight, and eventually the arrangement is extended.

Lord above, where to start?  Abby rolls into town and takes the apartment from the cantankerous old coot because she's desperate. OK, fine. But she knows UP FRONT what sort of guy he is.  What does she do?  Volunteer to babysit her BFF's three kids (2 boys, 1 girl - all under the age of 12) who are described as "a handful."  Was her BFF in a bind?  Was there a dire emergency?  No.  BFF is pregnant and tired and Abby wants to help her out.  Look, nothing wrong with this. Admirable even.  BUT ABBY KNOWS WHAT SORT OF MAN HER LANDLORD IS!  Does she send the BFF off to a hotel out of town  to get away for a few days and watch the kids at her house?  No.  The boisterous brats spend the night at Abby's place and viola! Evicted. Plot contrivance right on cue...

I won't even get into the fact that her apartment burning down before she moves in and not a whiff of a mention of renter's insurance is discussed.  Who knows? Maybe she hadn't signed the lease yet?  Maybe she hadn't contacted the insurance company yet?  Loss of Use is something you think about when you've had to evac because of a wildfire - just sayin'.

When Ethan shows up in the ER they immediately pump him full of painkillers and he's adament about the hospital social worker not placing his kid in the system, even if it's temporary.  There's also NO DISCUSSION about locating another relative.  I mean, it's possible it's just Ethan, his ex-wife and the kid - but the "let's call a family member" suggestion isn't even mentioned.  Instead it's let this total stranger head of nursing watch my kid - here's the keys to my house.  All this after Ethan makes a snap judgement about Abby's parental skills (he thinks the BFFs "handful" kids are Abby's kids) which then leads to nonsense about "city girls" and "career girls" the rest of the frickin' story.  Shoot me now.

Besides the fact that Abby and Ethan aren't really on page together much (outside of the ER visit) until after page 70 (yes, a longer category romance but still - less than 300 pages y'all!) they don't spend an exorbitant amount of time together.  Abby's working.  Ethan is working and brooding.  There's his kid.  There's a pile of secondary characters.  Oh, and someone is lurking around Ethan's remote ranch sabotaging stuff and someone is out to discredit Abby at work.  So you've got two half-baked suspense threads wedged in with all the stuff that already isn't working.  When the couple decides they might have feelings for each other, I have to wonder...how, exactly?!? There's really no build up of the relationship to lead up to that point.

To be honest I should have DNF'ed this.  I pretty much knew 50 pages in that it wasn't going to work for me - but I'm in a dismal slump at the moment and wasn't left with enough time to complete the challenge.  Yeah, this could have been a DNF review, but soldier on and all that.  Done. Moving on. Hoping for better things on the horizon.

Final Grade = D-