Box of Chocolates: Unusual Historicals for February 2023

Ever notice how nobody ever seems to say anything good about the month of February? In wide swaths of the US it's cold and dark, quite frankly it's depressing.  Yes, it's mercifully short and you get half-price candy on February 15th, but really that's about it. But at least in February 2023 we're also getting a fairly robust month of unusual historicals.  It's like authors and publishers knew none of us really want to leave our homes this month if we can help it.  Here's what is catching my eye:

Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior by Lucy Morris 

Kidnapped by the warrior 

Tempted by the man… 

Captured by the infamous Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince intent on revenge against her family, Viking healer Helga must keep her wits about her if she’s to be freed. Easier said than done when she desires him rather than fears him! Helga senses there’s good inside Rhys and feels compelled to reach his heart. But first, she must make him see there’s more to her than just his enemy…

Here's my #1 with a bullet this month, the third book in what has been the author's thus far enjoyable Viking Shieldmaiden Sisters trilogy. Last we saw Helga she was getting kidnapped because her brother-in-law arranged for the Welsh princess he was supposed to marry to mercifully escape with her one true love. The fly in the ointment? The princess's brother who kidnaps Helga in a fit of retribution.  Helga's kidnapping is featured prominently in the second book, so I'm more than ready to see how that all spins out and how the enemies-to-lovers (boy howdy!) romance is handled.

Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell

Nina Finch isn't suited for a life of crime. Raised by her art-forger brother, she can paint like Botticelli. But she'd so much rather be baking gooseberry tarts. She finally has the money she needs to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, her brother's carelessness lands her—and their forgeries—directly under the nose of London's most discerning art critic, Alan De'Ath. De'Ath knows the paintings are fake. He doesn't know that Nina had a hand in their creation. In fact, he offers her a job in his household. Accepting it is the most dangerous thing she has ever done.... 

Alan takes pride in seeing things other people miss. He plans to catch the forger and cement his reputation. There's only one problem: the closer he gets to the beguiling woman he hired, the less he trusts his perspective. Nina isn't what she seems. But despite their false start, she just might hold the real key to his heart. 

As Nina and Alan’s attraction grows, divided loyalties threaten to pull them apart and shatter their worlds. They’ll lose everything, or discover how powerful true love can be.... 

I'm old, cranky and have many thoughts and feelings about trade paperback historical romances with cartoon covers - but this one sounds fun.  First off, it's a Victorian (I love me some Victorians) with an art forger heroine trying to go straight and a hero determined to apprehend the forger to further his own reputation and garner prestige.  It sounds right up my alley, but a new-to-me author + higher price point = Wendy leveraging her library card to give this one a spin. 

Marriage Deal with the Earl by Liz Tyner 

A deal they both agreed to 

An attraction they never expected… 

Widowed Susanna isn’t looking to remarry, but her late husband’s debts mean she’s open to an old friend’s proposition… Last time she saw Quinton Langford, he was content being a physician, but after unexpectedly becoming an earl, he needs a wife to navigate Society. When Susanna agrees to his proposal of a marriage on paper, she never expects long buried feelings to resurface and threaten to derail their agreement! 

My love for Harlequin Historical is well documented, so it's a little surprising that I have yet to read anything by Tyner.  This one sounds like just my sort of a catnip - a physician hero who is out of his depth when he unexpectedly inherits a title and a widowed heroine left behind to clean up a dead husband's financial mess = friends-to-lovers meets marriage of convenience.

The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid

London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he’s been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen…or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal. 

Promising psychologist Jules Southby knows a lot about disguises. She’s secretly been living as a boy since birth, enjoying the freedoms of men and knowing little about how to behave like a woman. When she meets the alluring duke, she’s unprepared for his raw, masculine beauty and icy intelligence…or that he can see through her darkest secret. 

Jules has very little time to transform the duke into a true semblance of an English gentleman. Yet his very presence seems to unravel her in every way. Their attraction is stark and achingly real—and forbidden. But loving the lost duke would mean losing every sacrifice she’s made to earn her freedom…

I have a feeling that this is a book where there will be no half measures. I'm either going to fall on it like a chocolate cake or else it's going to be a hot mess.  But I saw "lost at sea a decade ago" and "Yukon" and I am but a mere mortal.  Reid has been quite prolific but I have yet to try any of her books, and this one sounds deliciously banana-pants. 

A Season of Flirtation by Julia Justiss

Her lessons in flirtation… 

Could work too well! 

When Lady Laura Pomeroy offers to give her friend lessons on surviving the Season, she doesn’t expect her friend’s brother to join! Banker Miles Rochdale is dubious of the aristocracy and clearly thinks Laura is shallow and silly. Frustratingly, mathematical genius Laura finds herself attracted to him and enjoys challenging his assumptions. But, as a marquess’s daughter, there’s no point impressing Miles because she’ll never be allowed to marry someone in the trade… 

A cross-class romance featuring a heroine whose intelligence is likely viewed as a detriment within the ton, and a banker hero who is distrustful of all things aristocracy.  What could possibly go wrong?  Justiss is a solid writer and this is the first book in her new Least Likely to Wed series.

The Witching Hour by Anna Bradley - Kindle Unlimited, Novella

A haunted soul, a broken heart, and an ancient castle that takes care of its own… 

In a mysterious castle in Oxfordshire, in a bedchamber above stairs lays Sylvie Bentham, the Countess of Trevelyan, deceased of a fever at the tender age of twenty-three. 

Or is she? 

Sylvie doesn’t feel dead. To be fair, she doesn’t feel alive either—not until James, the husband she thought lost to her forever appears at her bedside and begs her to come back to him. James makes the frozen blood rush through her veins and her lifeless heart beat wildly in her chest, but he’s made her promises before, promises he didn’t keep. How can she trust his promise of forever? 

James always thought he’d return to Sylvie someday, but he’s waited too long, and now she’s gone forever. 

Or is she? 

Dead countesses don’t wander the corridors of the castle, or play the pianoforte in the music room at midnight. Dead countesses don’t stroke his hair, or hold his hand, or drop tender kisses on his lips. A shadow of Sylvie’s soul yet lingers inside her body, but will his love be enough to lure her back from the brink of death? 

Yes, the blurb caught my eye.  Unfortunately I'm not finding a lot of detail beyond said blurb.  Is the heroine a ghost? Is she alive? Whatever is going on here it definitely sounds Gothic.  It's also short (Amazon lists this at 60 pages) so I think this might be my last KU read before I let my subscription lapse at the end of the month. 

At the King's Command by Susan Wiggs - Reprint

Frustrated by his own failures at matrimony, King Henry VIII punishes an insolent nobleman by commanding him to marry the vagabond woman caught stealing his horse. Stephen de Lacey is a cold and bitter widower, long accustomed to the sovereign's capricious and malicious whims. He regards his new bride as utterly inconvenient…though undeniably fetching. 

But Juliana Romanov is no ordinary thief—she is a Russian princess forced into hiding by the traitorous cabal who slaughtered her family. One day she hopes to return to Muscovy to seek vengeance. 

What begins as a mockery of a marriage ultimately blossoms into deepest love.

This book under this title was first published in 2009, but even back then it was a reprint.  Prior to moving into contemporary women's fiction, Wiggs wrote a bunch of historical romances and this story first appeared as Circle in the Water back in 1994.  It's also the first book in the Tudor Rose trilogy and yes, I have all of the original editions buried in my print TBR (like really, you have to ask?).  Anyway, I've never been able to ferret out if the reprint was revised at all beyond the new title, but comparing the pagination between my print copy of Circle in the Water and what's listed on Amazon for At the King's Command they are within spitting distance - so I'm taking that as a good sign.  Will 2023 finally be the year I read through more of Wiggs' historical backlist?  Sigh. Hope springs eternal.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?

Review: The Enticing Of Miss Standish

On paper, The Enticing of Miss Standish by Julia Justiss has everything I want in a historical romance: an independent, forthright heroine, a self-made, non-titled hero, class conflict, a slow burn romance, set in the early Victorian era when the Industrial Revolution was becoming A Very Big Deal.  This is all stuff I love - so why then didn't I love this book?  Let me explain....

This is the third book in the author's Cinderella Spinsters series but stands alone well.  With her two best friends now married, Sara Standish's hope that they'd all get a house together, live independently, to work on their various interests and projects is somewhat dashed.  Oh sure, she's happy for her friends - she just needs to convince her demanding aunt and "invalid" mother that traipsing her around London trying to land her a husband is futile. Sara just isn't that interested nor does she (or any eligible gentleman it seems) find herself all that interesting.  What she wants to do is continue her political activism work on behalf of child mill workers.  So when an opportunity to serve as a companion to Lady Trent as her committee tours mills out in the country, Sara calls up all her powers of persuasion and gets her aunt to agree.

Cameron Fitzallen was an indigent orphan who worked in the mills as a child, but his curiosity and intelligence were recognized by the owner who sent him to school.  Cameron is mechanically gifted, having several patents to his name and is now taking over ownership and operation of the mill.  Naturally, having been a mill child himself, his mill far exceeds the reforms set in place by the Factory Act - which means it's an early stop for Lady Trent's committee.  Cam has strong feelings about gentry do-gooders and immediately butts heads with Sara - who finds him attractive, albeit insufferable.  Cam soon realizes he's been an ass, so when an opportunity presents itself to smooth things over with Sara, he does.

That's basically it.  The conflict revolves entirely around class - Sara being gentry and Cameron most assuredly not.  There's a pompous earl's son who sneers and Lady Trent who very bluntly tells Sara that yes, the man is charming and intelligent but it just won't work and naturally Sara and Cam can't stay away from each other.  It's always there, and a problem, but it's not a real driving force in the story until the very end.  So that leaves a couple hundred pages to fill up with other stuff - which is Sara visiting the mill schools, musing on her attraction to Cam and knowing it's no good but oh she's can't help it, Cam having those same musings about Sara, running his mill, and his own passions for improving mill machinery and making life better for his workforce.  Oh, and there's a train ride to Birmingham.

It's all very boring.  The conflict lacks punch, and the characters, while admirable and interesting, exhibit more passion for their, uh, passions than they do for each other.  There's some decent tension, but it's inconsistent.  When I finally think we're going to get some oomph to the conflict and a suitably climactic finish?  It's like a balloon slowly being deflated.  The author sets up a dynamite finish, where Sara could declare her independence, confront her aunt and mother, and ride off into the sunset to live the life SHE wants to and claim Cam.  Instead?  There's no confrontation with auntie or mama and the sweeping declarations of love between our romantic couple are rather muted.

The parts just don't add up to a whole - which is a shame because this is a historical with some actual history in it, Sara and Cam are both admirable interesting characters, and for a change of pace issues of class aren't swept under the rug - well, until they actually are.  Because while it's a given that Sara's BFFs will stand by her side as she marries ::shudder:: an entrepreneur, the fact that auntie has a miraculous change of heart was a bit too much for me to swallow.

Your mileage may vary, but sadly this one never elevated itself above "OK" for me.

Final Grade = C

Wendy's Unusual Historical Picks for August 2020

We’re almost through 8 months of the hellscape that is 2020, congratulations I guess? It’s something to wake up every day and wonder what new WTF’ery awaits us, and given the stress of, you know, life right now I’m doing my best to snatch moments of joy where I can. Which, hello, books are my go-to for that. Well, and wine - but books aren’t bad for my liver. So let’s look at what indulgences caught my eye this month: 

Lady of Disguise by G.S. Carr 

Death and deception are the backbones of war.​ 

Find a way to make a difference for the Union. This is the agreement Ruth Allen made with her best friends. The reason she disguised herself as a man and enlisted as a soldier in the War among States. The reason she met Gabriel, a Confederate deserter. Logic told her to kill him, but something wouldn't let her. 

Gabriel Bailey couldn't continue killing for a cause he didn't believe in. He didn't have a plan when he left his regiment and went on the run, but fate did. Ruth should have killed him. Instead, she spared him. For now. 

Can two people from opposite sides of the divide put aside their differences to find love despite being enemies? 

This is the second book in Carr’s Ladies of the Civil War series and honestly this plot can go one of two ways: it’ll either be a disaster or full of all sorts of awesome. Looking at that cover? I’m hoping for awesome. Plus I’m curious to find out why our hero is fighting for the Confederacy when he doesn’t believe in the cause - there’s a story there for sure! 

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles 

It's been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn't expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced, shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway? 

But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever. And before Will knows it, he's been dragged back into Kim's shadowy world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings. 

This time, though, things are underhanded even by Kim standards. This time, the danger is too close to home. And if Will and Kim can't find common ground against unseen enemies, they risk losing everything. 

Set post-World War I, Charles’ second book in the Will Darling series finds our bookseller hero separated from aristocrat of dubious reputation, Kim Secretan for two months - only to have the man reappear at the most unexpected moment. 

Aspirations of a Lady’s Maid by Eva Shepherd 

Separated by class 

Brought together by passion 

Having finally fulfilled her dream of opening a hairdressing parlor, Nellie Regan has no interest in love ruining her plans. After Nellie is caught mocking landowner Dominic Lockhart’s lifeless engagement to Lady Cecily, she’s not expecting him to defend her in a tavern brawl. Now the frustratingly handsome gentleman must recuperate in her home! Close quarters stir simmering attraction…but Nellie’s determined to follow her head, not her heart. Is Dominic willing to do the same? 

OMG, a working heroine who owns her own hairdressing salon? I honestly can’t think of the last time I’ve seen that in a historical romance (OK, never). I’m a sucker for a cross-class romance and Shepherd is a new-to-me-author. This looks promising. 

The Enticing of Miss Standish by Julia Justiss 

A meeting of minds… 

But a most unsuitable match! 

When lady’s companion Sara Standish meets Cameron Fitzallen, he has his jacket off and he’s mending mill machinery. He is manly, capable—though it’s most improper for him to set her heart aflutter! He is a mill owner—trade—after all. They share the same aim to help impoverished children, but in the eyes of the ton, she must not mix with him. That doesn’t stop her craving his company, or his touch… 

Justiss has a long backlist and is a reliable writer, having enjoyed her books in the past. This third book in the Cinderella Spinsters series features a lady’s maid falling for a mill owner. More cross-class conflict - sign me up! 

A Counterfeit Heart by K.C. Bateman (Reprint) 

A feisty counterfeiter and a cocky British agent clash in this sultry Secrets and Spies novel by K. C. Bateman, whose witty, intelligent, and sexy historical romances have become her signature. 

As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms. 

Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake. 

Originally published by Loveswept in 2017 (check your TBR!) rights have reverted back to the author and we’ve now got a self-published edition. This is the third book in a series that I obviously missed the first go-around. Yes, the hero is a spy blah, blah, blah - but a counterfeiter heroine! And naturally the hero is such a man it doesn’t cross his mind that the notorious counterfeiter he has spent a career hunting is….well, a woman. HOW DID I MISS THIS THE FIRST TIME AROUND?!?! 

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?

Top 5 Unusual Historicals for November 2017

I was actually setting out to work on this post when I got word that Heroes & Heartbreakers would be phasing out the blog.  The editorial staff is choosing to focus on posts with firm deadlines in their final couple of weeks and since this post wasn't actually done - well,  I'm opting to post it over here.  These posts originated on this blog before H&H asked if I would be interested in taking them over there - so it's a bit like coming home for Unusual Historicals.  Here's what is catching my eye for November:

A Texas Christmas Past by Julia Justiss (Tule Publishing)

Death denied Felicity a future with the man she loved, but her spirit lingers in the the Harwood House Hotel hoping to heal broken hearts and help them to find love again... 

Widowed World War I nurse Audra Donaldson returns from France planning to devote her life to helping those suffering the lingering effects of war—effects she knows all too well, as she suffers from them herself. When, staying at the Harwood House Inn on a Christmas visit to her brother, she hears a man in the throes of a violent nightmare, she goes to him without question—and is stunned by a physical attraction as strong as her desire to help. 

About to embrace the beautiful angel come to save him from the horrors of the battlefield, former soldier Drew Harwood recoils when he realizes Audra is real—and has seen his “weakness.” Brusquely rejecting her offer of help, he intends to avoid her. But more than just her beauty continues to draw him back. Though this compassionate, kind, and giving soul has seen more of war than he has, somehow, talking with her brings him peace--and seems to comfort her, too. If he can just resist acting on the desire she's ignited in him since his first glimpse of her... 

But someone else was watching, too. After tragedy denied Felicity a future with Drew, her dying wish was that he live his life and be happy for them both. To her sorrow, a year later, her former fiancé is still struggling. Deciding Audra is the perfect lady to heal the wounds of her beloved, this determined ghost resolves to bring Drew and Audra together. Who can resist a love that lasts beyond time?

OK, to be honest the whole "ghost thing" is giving me pause.  But, this is Julia Justiss, it's post World War I, and I liked her debut western for Tule.  So of course I one-clicked the hell out of this.

 A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole (Kensington)

The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor—but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together . . .  

For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother’s traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her—until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie’s home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause.  

Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible.  

When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie’s freedom on the line,  she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love—and freedom—before they ever cross state lines.

Good Lord, I'm on the edge of my seat just reading the plot description!  Also, one of the best historical covers I've seen in ages.

The Hired Man by Lynna Banning (Harlequin Historical)

A home for the drifter 

Cordell Winterman is haunted by his mistakes—and the years spent paying for them. Broke and hungry, he takes a job as a hired man on Eleanor Malloy's farm. 

Eleanor needs help. Desperately. Her kids are running wild and the place is held up by spit and rust. But as Cord helps her set her home to rights, Eleanor realizes she doesn't just need this enigmatic drifter with hunger in his eyes…she wants him, too!

I know, we're heavy on American-set historicals this month but I couldn't not post this one.  The whole hired man showing up to help out a heroine neck deep is about the only way I can take the Rescue Fantasy trope these days.  Sign me up!

 Her Christmas Knight by Nicole Locke (Harlequin Historical)

A knight to protect her—this Yuletide 

By order of the English king, Alice of Swaffham searches London nobility for the traitor dealing information to the Scots. Little does she know that the mysterious spy she seeks is the man she once loved and thought she'd lost forever… 

If Hugh of Shoebury felt unworthy of Alice before, as the Half-Thistle spy he can never claim her heart. Now he must fight to keep not only his dark secrets—and Alice—safe from a vengeful king…but also his burning longing for her at bay!

Oh look - something that isn't an American-set historical!  See, I haven't forgotten the medieval fans out there.  Locke rolls on with her Lovers and Legends series for Harlequin.  Danger and intrigue all wrapped up in a Christmas romance?  Oh Harlequin, you totally "get" me!

The Drifter by Susan Wiggs (Harlequin / MIRA)

Leah Mundy has spent her life dashing from town to town, one step ahead of her father’s dreadful reputation. Now, she wants to create a home for herself and build a medical practice in Coupeville, a cozy village nestled amid the majestic isles and mountains of Washington Territory. But her neighbors are loath to trust a newcomer, especially a woman doing a man’s work. 

On the run for a crime he didn’t commit but can’t deny, Jackson Underhill is desperate when he holds Leah at gunpoint. He needs her doctoring to mend his wounds, but he soon realizes that she is also capable of healing his soul. But Jackson has been hardened by life as an outlaw, and Leah knows that a future together is impossible…unless they confront his past and learn to trust the redeeming power of love.

Yes, I'm aware that this is a reprint but LOOK AT THAT COVER!  I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it.  It's worth a look, as I said when I reviewed it as part of the 2013 TBR Challenge.   

What Historicals are you looking forward to this month?

Mini-Reviews: A Girl Without a Train, Brain Candy and a Historical Western

It's time for another round of mini-reviews!  This go-around Wendy, once again, succumbed to hype, revisited her favorite writer of "brain candy" and tackled a historical western romance written by an author who has published scads of Regencies.

I cannot remember exactly now why I put my name on the wait list for the audiobook version of The Widow by Fiona Barton - especially since the PR for it is heavy on the references to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.  Stylistically it reminded me of The Girl on the Train - with multiple narrators and to be honest, it's pretty heavy on "tell over show."  Flashbacks are employed, and the time line jumps anywhere from 2006 to 2010 to years in between.

It's a Bad Things Happen to Kids story.  A toddler girl goes missing.  A woman's husband is accused.  The story is told from the point-of-view of The Widow, The Mother, The Detective, The Reporter and eventually (for one chapter), The Accused Husband.  I wouldn't say this was overly graphic (I've read WAY more graphic) but the crime is pedophilia, and that's an automatic NOPE for a lot of readers.

Did I like this?  Meh.  I'm not going to lie, it's compelling as all get out.  The wait list was such at work that I couldn't renew the title, so I had to burn through the last couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.  It kept me engaged, but as a suspense story? I kept expecting it to get all twisty (Hello? The PR is selling me on this being the next Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train!), but it never really twists let alone turns.  I guess I would call this "psychological."  You get deeply inside the heads of the characters, namely The Widow.  But suspense barreling down on you like a freight train?  Biting your nails compulsively towards the end?  Yeah, not so much.  I finished it and my immediate reaction was torn between "That's it?" and "Holy heck, parents everywhere should be terrified."  For lack of a better word?  I'd say this was a disquieting read.  You'll also never want to go on the Internet ever again.

Final Grade = I'm torn between a B- and a C+

+++++

Laura Levine is the only cozy mystery author I'm reading these days and her latest Jaine Austen book, the 14th in the series, Murder Had Nine Lives, is set to drop on June 28.  I'll be honest - this series fills the hole left behind when I finally got fed up and quit Stephanie Plum.  Levine definitely has her formula down cold now.  Jaine is a freelance writer, unlucky in love, with wacky parents, and a demanding kitty named Prozac.  There's always a dating disaster.  Her father always gets up to hijinks in his retirement village (this go around it's a Scrabble tournament) much to the horror of her long-suffering, Home Shopping Channel addicted mother.  Prozac destroys hosiery and sweaters while demanding to be fed, BFF Khandi always has a new love of her life and fabulous neighbor Lance takes a swipe at Jaine's personal grooming and dietary choices.

This is all a long-winded way of me saying that this book is more of the same.  It delivers exactly what I've come to expect and it didn't disappoint.  This time out Prozac has been plucked from obscurity (the vet's office) to star in a commercial for a diet cat food. But before you can say "That's a wrap!" - there's a dead body on the set, Jaine is a suspect, and Prozac's dreams of kitty stardom go up in smoke.

Levine is writing the cozy mystery equivalent of a TV sitcom.  They're fast and fun but I don't take them seriously.  I keep reading them because 1) I like them 2) Everyone needs quality Brain Candy now and then and 3) The mysteries tend to be solid.  These are category-length books (around 250 pages) and there's always, at least, half a dozen suspects and motives.  I'm not sure how it will play for newbies, but fans should enjoy this.

Final Grade = B

+++++

Julia Justiss has written a western!  The same Julia Justiss who has written numerous Regency historicals for Harlequin Historical and HQN.  It is exceptionally rare for an author to leave behind the Regency (even temporarily) to write a western, so of course I was going to read Scandal with a Rancher!

You can read a more in depth review over at The Good, The Bad and the Unread - but here are some quick hits:

This is a digital release from small press, Tule Publishing and is a prequel to the contemporary Whiskey River series by Eve Gaddy and Katherine Garbera.  I haven't read any of the contemporaries, so I can attest this historical stands alone well.  It did get a bit heavy on the mental lusting for my tastes, and I felt the heroine was too trusting of the hero (especially early on), but this was a solid read.  It didn't jump out as being OMG AMAZEBALLS! but the author handles the change in setting well, it's a readable story, and I liked it.  Trust me, I've read westerns that made my eyeballs bleed, and this isn't one of those.  If you're a Justiss fan, I think this is worth a look.  If you're in the mood for a western - also worth a look.

Final Grade = B

Finding The Reading Mojo

Every reader has a "method" for breaking out of a dreaded reading slump. Whether it's to reread old favorites, or pick up a book by an author who usually delivers for them. Me? I tend to suck it up and try to power through it. In other words, just sit my ass in the nearest chair, pick up a book, and read it. My slumps usually are the result of reading several lackluster books in a row, and it's amazing how quickly I get the mojo back when I actually read ::gasp:: books that are entertaining me. Last week I managed to read six books. Yeah, six. OK, so they were all Harlequins - but still that's already two more books than I managed to read all of last month. Since I took the weekend off from blogging, I thought I'd jump-start the Bat Cave by taking an opportunity to talk about a couple of these recent reads:

Under The Boss's Mistletoe by Jessica Hart is a November Harlequin Romance with a lackluster title and back cover description, but ooooh, look at the purdy cover! I'll be honest. I like reading the hot sexxoring in romance novels. I love erotica. I love erotic romance. Truly. But sometimes I need a sweet read. And by sweet I don't mean saccharine, toothache inducing either. I just want a nice, straight-forward, "traditional" romance. I devoured this story in record time, charmed by the wedding planner heroine and the former bad boy hero who is wound fairly tight. Glory be, characters who actually talk to each other? Well-done sexual tension and chemistry? Be still my heart! My review has been posted over at TGTBTU and I'm thinking I might have to buy a Dead Tree copy to add to my collection (yep, read this one as an ebook).

Longtime readers of this blog may remember a time when I was severely burnt out on Regency historicals. When I say burn-out, I mean downright crippling. It lasted for years. It got to the point where I was reading maybe one Regency-set book a year. That's how bad it was. However, now that the burn out has begun to lift, I'm getting back into the Regency groove, "discovering" authors that others have been likely reading for years. My latest find is Julia Justiss. I read her latest (and insipidly titled) From Waif To Gentleman's Wife (an October Harlequin Historical) over the weekend, and really enjoyed it.

One reason I suspect it's easy for me to get burnt out on this sub genre is that after a while I get fed up with reading about rich, privileged people. Just do. Honestly, that probably explains my rabid devotion to the western romance more than anything else ever could. What struck me about Justiss' latest was how "real" it felt. The heroine comes from a "good" family, but she's broke. When her solider husband dies, and her in-laws wash their hands of her, she's left with few options, so she becomes a governess. When the Lady of the house catches her husband accosting our heroine, she fires her. Because, you know, it's all her fault that the Lord is a lecherous asshole. Getting fired means no references for future employment. None. With only a small stash of coins to her name, our heroine is well and truly screwed. Which is how she ends up meeting our hero. With her back up against the wall, and hoping to throw herself on the mercy of her brother (who, it turns out, has gone missing).

It's the sort of book that makes me infinitely happy to have been born in the latter half of the 20th century. Because this is how it was for women back in the day. You were at the mercy of men and the circumstance of who you were born to. It was also nice to read about a hero, who while titled, wasn't anywhere remotely near "bad boy" or "rake." No debauchery, no string of mistresses, no drinking, no gambling, no endless litany of how all he needs is the "love of a good woman" to reform him.

A review is forthcoming over at TGTBTU, but yeah - this one earned a B from me. Which means I'm definitely entertaining the idea of reading more books by Justiss. Anyone have any recommendations for either her or Jessica Hart? Because I am listening.