TBR Challenge 2015: Sins of a Wicked Princess

The Book: Sins of a Wicked Princess by Anna Randol

The Particulars: Historical romance, Avon, 2013, Third book in a trilogy, In Print

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  I immensely enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, and got my hands on the next two books.  Plus, neither here nor there, this author is local for yours truly.

The Review:  As stated above, I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy - it being a huge pleasant surprise what with 1) being by an unknown to me author 2) saddled with an insipid title and 3) equally insipid back cover blurb.  But close to full out love it I did so I read the second book - which despite being RITA nominated I found completely forgettable.  So forgettable in fact that all I could recall prior to rereading my review was that part of the story takes place in Russia.  Naturally my ardor cooled somewhat and languish this third and final book did - until now.

Warning: Thar Be Spoilers Ahoy!

Ian Maddox AKA Wraith was saved from the gallows and turned spy for the Crown.  Napoleon now vanquished, he and his two comrades have been sacked without much more than a by-your-leave.  The fly in the ointment?  While The Trio is now out of business, they've ticked off enough people that someone is trying to kill them.  But who?  The list of potential assassins is long.  Ian thinks Princess Juliana of Lenoria may be the culprit.  What with her living in exile, her parents murdered and The Trio being the ones responsible.

Of course it's not Juliana.  She's too busy trying to figure out how to 1) protect her people and 2) regain her kingdom.  No the real culprit is a criminal mastermind with his sticky fingers in a lot of pies who has managed, quite easily since the boy is a moron, to outwit her younger brother.  So now Juliana has to join forces with Ian to thwart the bad guy, save her idiot brother and save her kingdom.

Much like the last book the main issue I had was with the thin characterizations.  It takes a while for Juliana and Ian to get off the ground, so to speak, but eventually they do...somewhat.  However that never quite gels into romance for me.  I never quite could decipher the road map of how they go from bantering to falling in love - it just sort of happens.  The puzzle pieces are there, but it's like half of them have gone missing from the box.

What this leads to a pleasant, albeit forgettable read.  The secondary characters add some color (two of the servants, especially) and the dialogue is fun.  It's quick, breezy, the kind of light historical romance that Avon has built it's brand around for the last several years.  Nothing outright offensive, but nothing that makes it stand out either.

And then we get to the big reveal and it all slides way far south.  Like I said, The Trio is essentially responsible for Lenoria falling.  They were following orders.  Juliana's parents were going to throw their lot in with the French.  They had to go.  And while they didn't murder her parents directly?  They riled things up to the point of a coup and in the fervor her parents were murdered.  Juliana witnessing their deaths with her own adolescent eyes.

Got that?  Ian, while he did not pull the trigger, was responsible for events that led her parents being murdered.  And yet?  Juliana is remarkably OK with this.  There are no tears.  There is no wailing or hurled accusations.  There is no pulling a knife on the man and gutting him like a fish.  No.  He was "following orders."  Mumsy and Dada are cold in the ground but hey, it's OK.  Ian was just following orders!  What's to forgive?

I don't know.  Call me crazy.  Yes, hunky handsome spies for the Crown are all well and good.  Yes, I'm sure they kiss divinely.  But if I found out that the man I was making googly eyes at played a part in my parents' murder?  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my ardent feelings would cool considerably.

But hey, maybe I'm just wacky.

It just doesn't work for me.  At all.  I could fly with the final chapters that take on a bit of a rushed mad-cap feel.  I could even fly with the fact that Ian makes some pretty incompetent decisions even though he's supposed to be a "master spy."  What I couldn't fly with was the fact that Juliana could just let the fact that Ian was responsible for the death of her beloved parents go.  Dude.  If she was living in the 21st century she'd probably write love letters to guys on death row. Seriously.

So yeah.  This was disappointing.  Loved the first book (about the female spy) and really did not care for the final two books (about male spies).  Which, once again, kind of showcases the fact that I'm an unrepentant heroine-centric reader.  The heroine spy?  I wanted to have babies with.  And her two male partners?  Meh.  So long fellas!

Final Grade = D+

Living Up To The Hype

I tend to dislike reviews where the reader spends a lot of time comparing the current read to some past book.  Even though every author has their "tells" - each book, for me, should stand on its own.  It should live or die on its own merits.  But dang, that's really hard at times - especially when you're talking about series, or connected books.  Earlier this year I read and really enjoyed the first book in Anna Randol's Sinners Trio trilogy, Sins Of A Virgin.  It was one of my favorite kind of books - one where just about everything works for me despite a back cover blurb that made my eyes roll back in my head and uninspired cover art.  So needless to say, I was really anticipating reading the second book in the series, Sins of a Ruthless Rogue.  Unfortunately, while there is nothing terribly terrible about it, I found it to be a flat read.

Clayton Campbell was a clerk in a paper mill when he fell hard and fast for the boss's daughter.  Olivia Swift, being an only child, the apple of her Daddy's eye, is your typical pampered new money heiress.  Which is to say she's beautiful, charming, but more than a touch selfish and self-absorbed.  The mill has a contract with the Bank of England to print money, and when Clayton discovers that more bills were printed than were authorized in the contract, he goes to Olivia.  Her father oversees everything, so.....yeah.  Naturally, Olivia, being a bubble-headed ninny teenage twit runs to Daddy.  Clayton finds himself arrested, convicted, and with a date for the gallows, when England comes calling.  Become a spy for us and we'll pardon you.  Which he does.  Now discharged from service, he's ready to settle an old score - to show up on Olivia's doorstep and destroy the mill.

Olivia's father told her Clayton was dead, and she mourned him.  She realized, too late, exactly the type of man her father was.  Through circumstance, she's now running the mill and trying to atone for past mistakes.  To this end, she has thrown herself into charity work and is working to revive the mill, which has fallen on hard times.  If it dies, the town dies.  Clayton showing up on her doorstep, very much alive, is a major shock.  But his arrival also signals the arrival of Russian villains - villains who think Olivia is one of Clayton's spy compatriots.  As she is whisked off to Russia, Clayton follows.  Can they thwart an international conspiracy to overthrow a government, compromise on the issue of the mill, and fall back in love, despite the fact that neither of them are the people they used to be?

The best way for me to describe this romance is thin.  As the reader, I never felt like the author dug deep enough with these characters.  They felt very surface to me.  They're marginally interesting people, on the surface, but their angst is never fully delved into.  There are zero scenes between Olivia and her father after she discovers his betrayal.  Clayton's relationship baggage surrounding his own parents is also skimmed over - including the fact that his mother was a faithless whore and his father's circumstances took a nose dive after Clayton's arrest.  These are just the immediate examples that come to mind, but there are others, and it really gives this story a superficial feel.  This is totally one of those books where I find everything readable, but that I find instantly forgettable (in fact, writing this review is kind of a challenge since I'm working on it two days after finishing the book!).

However, it is readable and it did get smoother the further along in the story I got.  Things start to pick up a bit once the couple lands in Russia, and the author includes some interesting secondary characters that I hope may show up in future books down the road.  This being said, all of this introduced intrigue does make for an abrupt ending.  There's a lot of past history between Olivia and Clayton and I think I just needed more.  Yes they're different people now than when they were younger, but they're at cross-purposes, especially about the mill, for so much of the story, that to have the various changes-of-heart happen as they do?  It just didn't work for me.

So yeah, it's not terrible - but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a little disappointed.  Chalk this one up to the author giving readers such a memorable heroine in the first book - that to see things fall into predictable patterns in this one was kind of a downer. 

Final Grade = C+

Work Marches On

I've been off work for an entire, glorious week thanks to the annual visit from the Super Librarian Parental Units.  However that has not kept me from checking on my work e-mail sporadically - because I am obviously insane.  One nice thing that rolled in?  Our programs coordinator e-mailed me the poster for the romance panel (which yes, I am moderating....again) that will be used during our annual literary event.  We have a local art institute design all of the artwork for us, and this is what they came up with for romance.  I'd have to go back and look at my older posters, but I think this is the first time ever that the romance panel has featured artwork with a couple on it.  No, really.  Heart themed artwork has been the most prevalent, although to date my favorite poster featured ribbon-lettering, an open book and a rose.

This one feels nicely modern to me.  The couple looks young-ish and the colors pop.  Honestly it kind looks like one of those "New Adult Lit" books that are currently all the rage.

This year our panel features Jill Sorenson, Jillian Stone and Anna Randol.  I'm really excited about this panel, and really looking forward to talking to all of these women about their work.  It should be fascinating and loads of fun.

If you're in the southern California area, Literary Orange will be held at the Irvine Marriott on Saturday, April 6.  It's an all-day event that features various author panels, along with keynote speakers and there will be a bookseller on site.  This year our keynotes are general fiction author, Tatjana Soli and mystery/suspense bestselling mainstay, J.A. Jance.  The cost for the day is $60, and includes continental breakfast and lunch.  Registration is capped at 500 attendees.  You can register for the event, or just learn more about it on our website.

Sinful Virgins And Murderers Afoot

I'm in the throes of "homework reading" for my library's upcoming literary event, although Anna Randol is an author I've had filed away under "I really need to get caught up on review obligations so I can try one of her books" since her debut novel appeared back in early 2012.  Sins Of A Virgin came out last fall and is the start of a trilogy.  I'll admit it, reading the back cover blurb, seeing the title, my eyes may have rolled back in my head just a wee bit.  Oh silly, silly Wendy.  Getting thwarted again by preconceived notions and your own prejudices.  I am so glad I read this story, it is by far one of the nicest reading surprises I've encountered in a long time.

The story opens with Madeline Valdan and her two compatriots getting unceremoniously dismissed by their employer.  All saved from the gallows, there were trained up and used as spies during England's war with Napoleon.  Napoleon now being defeated, their services no longer required, they're given a pat on the head, a pardon for past sins, and a one-time pension check that is paltry to say the least.  Madeline knows what it's like to grow up in the midst of poverty, as a woman with limited (OK, no) options at the mercy of others.  So she decides to take that meager government pittance and use it to secure a bigger score.  She's going to play the coquette, a scandalous whore who turns out is.....a virgin?  And she's going to auction off that virginity to the highest bidder.  She's sexy, charming, a virgin and nothing like their wives.  Yeah, the men of the ton start lining up to make their wagers.

Entering into this fray is a Bow Street Runner, Gabriel Huntford.  Born on the wrong side of the blanket, his mission the last several years is to find his twin sister's murderer.  There's been another murder in London, similar in modus operandi to his sister's, and now his superior is yanking him off the case (he's too close dontcha know) to guard Madeline Valdan.  Madeline is anything but stupid.  She knows appearance is everything, and having a watch-dog gives the impression that she has something to protect.  Also she wants to make sure that the men bidding on her have the means to pay, and she needs someone to look into their financials.  Gabriel is all set to tell her to bugger off when he gets a look at the bidding ledger.  Some of the names listed there are some of his prime suspects in his sister's murder.

I read a female spy novel last year for the TBR Challenge by an author who excelled at prose, but whose characterization of the heroine I found utterly unsatisfying.  Randol's prose doesn't sing like that author's does, but oh, her creation of Madeline hits all the right notes with me.  This woman.....this woman is a spy.  She's calculating, manipulative, and a cynic.  She's the kind of person who immediately sizes up an entire room of people.  She's the sort who never has her back to a door, always knows the nearest escape routes, and can tell you who is the immediate threat and who is the slobbering puppy dog not worth her concern.  She uses any and all weapons at her disposal, her charm, her abilities at seduction, even a good knock on the head with a heavy object.  She can save herself, but likes working with a team - and matching her with a hero like Gabriel really allows her to shine.  I also loved her dichotomy.  The question very early on is how could this woman possibly still be a virgin?  Hell, is she even a virgin at all?  The way the author addresses that mystery is one I found satisfying, and actually believable (go figure).

Gabriel is your classic wounded hero with an ax to grind and a mission driving him forward.  His sister's death not only haunts him for the obvious reasons, but also for those last moments they spent together - the words he said to her that he now regrets.  He should have listened.  Why didn't he listen?  He resents the hell out of being forced on Madeline's assignment, but he's smart enough to know that it's the closest he's going to get to having access to so many on his suspect list.  Because after all?  You simply cannot storm into a peer's home and start questioning the man.  It simply isn't done.

The suspense angle here is very solid.  Besides the identity of the murderer, someone starts threatening Madeline and her life is endangered more than once.  I had the murderer pretty well pegged, but the author does a lovely job of putting in twists, turns, red herrings, to keep you happily moving along in the story.  The romance here does take time.  Madeline isn't the sort to pour her guts out to anybody, even a handsome anybody like Gabriel.  Likewise, Gabriel is a professional investigator, he's not going to spill his guts to Madeline even though he deduces pretty quickly that she's not just a pretty, flirtatious face.  There's way more to her story than she's letting on, and he knows it.

I really enjoyed this story immensely.  I loved the characters, it kept me entertained, it was just an all around fun read.  With countless spy stories populating the romance landscape, this one was a nice treat - a breath of fresh air thanks to the author's characterization of the heroine.  I liked that she was smart, resourceful, and strong.  That she could unravel herself from sticky situations, but wasn't such a lone wolf that she couldn't see the benefit of team work.  Really, a very good show indeed.

Final Grade = B+

Unusual Historical Spotlight: Retro Rippin', Cowboys, Egypt, Gladiators, Ottoman Empire, and Vikings

Love and War by Patricia Hagan

What You Need To Know: Publication date December 13, 2011; Digital Release; originally published in 1978 by Avon; first book in series

Description:

A tale of sizzling passion in a world consumed by the Civil War.

Beautiful and spirited Southerner Kitty Wright is torn between Rebel Nathan Collins and Yankee Travis Coltrane, the dashing Cavalry officer who can melt her heart with desire while sending fury coursing through her veins.

As war erupts, Kitty is abducted and ravished by a war-crazed Rebel. Rescued by Yankees, she is held captive and thrust into the battlefields to help tend the wounded. But from the first moment Travis Coltrane ignites—and satiates—the wild, raw desire in her that she never knew existed, she realizes her heart is imprisoned as well as her body.

Hating Travis for his Yankee loyalty, while loving him despite their different worlds, Kitty struggles with her guilt over Nathan, the Rebel to whom she is promised…all while struggling to survive as the world explodes around them all.

This title was originally published by Avon Books in 1978.

Product Warnings
This sweeping Civil War saga features accurate and graphic descriptions of battlefield wounds, nursing, and the brutality of war.

What Makes It Unusual: Dude, a Civil War saga!  Plus it sounds like just the ticket for those of you who are yearning for some Old School Bodice-Rippin' Action (see review at Get Yer Bodices Ripped Here)

Susanna's Choice by Sara Luck

What You Need To Know: Publication date December 27, 2011; debut

Description:

A Chance Encounter
Soon after stepping off the train, Rab rescues a beautiful woman from an oncoming wagon, and they are consumed by the strength and seduction of their embrace. Susanna is an aspiring writer and agrees to interview a stranger, who she is shocked to discover is none other than Rab Trudeau, the man that everyone is talking about and the man that saved her life.

A Life Changing Choice
Promised in marriage to another, Susanna fights her overwhelming desire for Rab, but as the scandal surrounding his company heats up, Susanna must make an impossible choice—one that could bind her to Rab forever or destroy any hope of their future happiness.

What Makes It Unusual: Dude, a debut western!

Priestess of the Nile by Veronica Scott


What You Need To Know: Publication date January 23, 2012; Digital Release, short story

Description:

Egypt, 1500 BC

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile God is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.
Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?
21,000 words

What Makes It Unusual: Dude, ancient Egypt!

 Mask of the Gladiator by Georgie Lee

What You Need To Know: Publication date January 30, 2012; Digital Release, short story

Description:

Rome, 41 AD
Livia Duronius is driven to seek out a gladiator after watching him triumph in the Colosseum. His touch arouses a sense of hope she hasn't felt since Rome fell under the tyrannical rule of Caligula—and her late husband betrayed her. Though in danger of losing more than her heart, she vows to see him again, even after she learns her uncle has arranged her marriage to a senator.

Senator Titus Marius cannot resist indulging in a passionate encounter with the veiled woman who waits for him after the games, though he faces execution if his true identity is discovered. Bound by honor to wed another, and embroiled in a plot to free Rome from madness, he never expects to see the mystery woman again.

When the fates reunite them in the marriage bed, Titus vows to protect Livia at all costs—even from the lecherous eyes of the emperor...
17,000 words

 What Makes It Unusual:  Dude, ancient Rome!

A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol

What You Need To Know: Publication date January 31, 2012; debut

Description:

She would gladly relinquish her life of intrigue…

A rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the Ottoman Empire, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately her employers think otherwise—and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the Game.

Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed “minder” to ensure that she completes—and survives—one last mission, Mari is incensed…for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply too dedicated, too unbending, and too disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril to Mari is slowly revealed, loyal soldier Bennett realizes that, to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will have to do the unthinkable and break the rules—rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably changed.

What Makes It Unusual: Dude, a debut novel published by Avon (all England, all the bloody time) set in the Ottoman Empire.  

The Viking's Touch by Joanna Fulford

What You Need To Know: Publication date February 21, 2012; sequel to The Viking's Defiant Bride

Description: 

Wulfgar and his band of warriors are on their way to join Rollo when their ship is damaged in a storm, and puts into a small bay off the Anglian coast.  They need to carry out urgent repairs and this looks like a perfect haven.  However, it turns out to be anything but.  For a start there is Lord Ingvar’s war band who make it clear that the newcomers are not welcome. Then there is Anwyn, the beautiful and wealthy widow, on whom Ingvar has designs.  Having escaped one forced marriage she is not about to embark on another.  Striving to maintain her independence and protect her young son, she feels increasing isolated and under threat. When she agrees to help Wulfgar he is grateful and, on learning of her predicament, even sympathetic. Unfortunately, he won’t be around long enough to become involved, and anyway it’s none of his business.  However, Anwyn, soon realises that he is the one person who could help her.

What Makes It Unusual:  Dude, Vikings!

• This is just a small sampling of upcoming and recently released titles. Have you read any promising unusual historicals of late?   (Seriously, the last time I did a UH post was back in September!  In other words, let the recommendations fly!)