Unusual Historicals for April 2019

Spring is here, baseball season is underway, I’m finally over the head cold from Hell - things are definitely looking up around the Bat Cave. What better way to celebrate than with new historical romance? Here are some catching my eye this month: 

The Scandalous Suffragette by Eliza Redgold

Votes for women!  

Can she fight for freedom and for love? 

When chocolate heiress Violet Coombes is caught hanging her suffragette banner in a most shocking place, Adam Beaufort, Esquire, proposes a marriage of convenience! His good name will avert scandal for her family, and her money will save the estate Adam’s father gambled away. Violet accepts, but she’s determined nothing will distract her from the Cause—including her oh-so-tempting husband! 

Reader: I totally judged a book by it’s cover. The Edwardian era has always been criminally under-utilized as a historical romance setting given what an interesting time in history it was for women. Redgold’s latest features an heiress whose scandalous suffragette leanings force her into a marriage of convenience to save her monied family from scandal. I one-clicked the heck out of this.

Sugar Moon by Jennifer Hallock

The nights were their secret.  

The papers back home call Ben Potter a hero of the Philippine-American War, but he knows the truth. When his estranged brother-in-law offers him work slashing sugarcane, Ben seizes the opportunity to atone--one acre at a time. At the hacienda Ben meets schoolteacher Allegra Alazas. While Allegra bristles at her family's traditional expectations, the one man who appreciates her intelligence and independence seems to be the very worst marriage prospect on the island.  

Neither Ben nor Allegra fit easily in their separate worlds, so together they must build one of their own. But when Ben's wartime past crashes down upon them, it threatens to break their elusive peace. 

Set in the Philippines at the dawn of the 20th century, the hero is the son of a tailor (he sews!), a baseball player, and war veteran. He’s also got issues. Given my continued hunt for Domme heroines, the author shared with me that there is some light D/s. Check out Kat’s (from BookThingo) Twitter thread and the author also has a handy page on her web site with content warnings on the entire series.

At the Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham 

In 1897, the discovery of gold in the desolate reaches of the Yukon has the world abuzz with excitement, and thousands of prospectors swarm to the north seeking riches the likes of which have never been seen before.  

For Liza Peterson and her family, the gold rush is a chance for them to make a fortune by moving their general store business from Vancouver to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon. For Constable Ben Turner, a recent recruit of the North-West Mounted Police, upholding the law in a place overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves is an opportunity to escape a dark past and become the man of integrity he has always wanted to be. But the long, difficult journey over icy mountain passes and whitewater rapids is much more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined, and neither is completely prepared for the forbidding north.  

As Liza’s family nears the mountain’s peak, a catastrophe strikes with fatal consequences, and not even the NWMP can help. Alone and desperate, Liza finally reaches Dawson City, only to find herself in a different kind of peril. Meanwhile, Ben, wracked with guilt over the accident on the trail, sees the chance to make things right. But just as love begins to grow, new dangers arise, threatening to separate the couple forever. 

I believe this is technically being marketed as historical fiction, but Graham has a romance past and reviews indicate it does have a happy-ever-after. However, reviews also indicate that it’s one of those old-school style books where there’s a fresh catastrophe awaiting our heroine nearly every other page. While that can be exhausting, it can also make for a page-turning read, plus the Yukon gold rush! A mountie hero! I’m going to see if I can score a copy from work.

Highland Crown by May McGoldrick 

Inverness, 1820  

Perched on the North Sea, this port town—by turns legendary and mythological—is a place where Highland rebels and English authorities clash in a mortal struggle for survival and dominance. Among the fray is a lovely young widow who possesses rare and special gifts.  

WANTED: Isabella Drummond
A true beauty and trained physician, Isabella has inspired longing and mystery—and fury—in a great many men. Hunted by both the British government and Scottish rebels, she came to the Highlands in search of survival. But a dying ship’s captain will steer her fate into even stormier waters. . .and her heart into flames.  

FOUND: Cinaed Mackintosh
Cast from his home as a child, Cinaed is a fierce soul whose allegiance is only to himself. . . until Isabella saved his life—and added more risk to her own. Now, the only way Cinaed can keep her safe is to seek refuge at Dalmigavie Castle, the Mackintosh family seat. But when the scandalous truth of his past comes out, any chance of Cinaed having a bright future with Isabella is thrown into complete darkness. What will these two ill-fated lovers have to sacrifice to be together…for eternity? 

The start of a new series, my ears perked up (or maybe it was my eyeballs) over a doctor heroine who is wanted on both sides of the conflict - by the British who want her to name names and by the Scots who fear she’ll do just that. Loyalty as conflict in historical romances always seems to work for me, and an unconventional hero paired with a ship’s captain is just the sort of jam I can’t say no to.

Claiming of the Shrew by Shana Galen

What happens when a marriage of convenience isn’t so convenient?  

Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Draven has retired from the army and spends most of his days either consulting for the Foreign Office or whiling away the hours at his club with his former comrades-in-arms. He rarely thinks about the fiery Portuguese woman he saved from an abusive marriage by wedding her himself. It was supposed to be a marriage in name only, but even five years later and a world away, he can’t seem to forget her.  

Catarina Neves never forgot what it felt like to be scared, desperate, and subject to the whims of her cruel father. Thanks to a marriage of convenience and her incredible skill as a lacemaker, she’s become an independent and wealthy woman. But when she’s once again thrust into a dangerous situation, she finds herself in London and knocking on the door of the husband she hasn’t seen since those war-torn years in Portugal. Catarina tells Benedict she wants an annulment, but when he argues against it, can she trust him enough to ask for what she really needs? 

Galen continues with her Survivors series with another hero haunted by his war experiences and the wife he wed to protect. He never forgot the passionate kiss they shared, but it’s still a surprise when Catarina shows up on his London doorstep asking for an annulment - their marriage of convenience no longer being, well, convenient. Also, depending on which side of the fence you land on - this is a May-December romantic couple. I figure that will, in equal measure, have some of you one-clicking and others running far in the other direction.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

Top 5 Unusual Historicals for March 2019

If the month of March had a definition it would be “tease.” Growing up in the Midwest, March meant warmer temperatures, the snow finally starting to melt, digging out my summer clothes when the temperature hit 60°F - only to have that cruel witch Mother Nature dump a March 31 blizzard to remind us who was boss. Oh, many an Easter it was where my pretty new dress was hidden under outerwear that made me look like I was going on an Antarctic expedition. You know what I’m talking about, amirite?! So why not plan for an impending final last-gasp snow day now by pursuing some new unusual historical offerings? Here’s what caught my eye for March.

To Tempt a Rebel by Shana Galen 

He’s a rebel…
It all began so well. When Tristan Chevalier joined the French revolutionaries to fight for brotherhood, equality, and liberty, he was full of hopes and dreams of what the revolution could accomplish. But after several years of serving as the bloodthirsty Robespierre’s second, Tristan is having doubts. When Tristan tries to halt Robespierre’s Reign of Terror, he inadvertently steps into a trap laid by the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel and orchestrated by the lovely Alexandra Martin. Tristan is no one’s pawn, but he thinks by playing along, he might be able to give his superiors information leading to the capture of the League. He could end the Pimpernel’s antics once and for all. There’s just one problem—no matter how much Tristan despises Alexandra, he can’t quite stop wanting her.  

She has a cause.
Alexandra Martin is an Englishwoman who’s has been playing the part of a French actress for years. It’s a clever cover for her real role as a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Alex usually works in the background, but when she manages to snare one of the most important men in Robespierre’s government, she’s risking it all. So begins a harrowing adventure where Alex’s most vile enemy must become her most trusted ally. The fate of a young prince hangs in the balance as two clashing rebels discover enemies sometimes make the best lovers. 

Look, light and fluffy historical romance has its place, but for my money I’m always going to go with the historical with high stakes conflict. Like, life and death stuff. And it doesn’t get much life-er and death-er than the French Revolution. This is the fourth book in a series where I somehow missed the preceding three. Never mind. I’m rectifying that now.

Shipwrecked with the Captain by Diane Gaston

All she remembers…  

…is feeling safe in his arms!  

Part of The Governess Swap: Shipwrecked governess Claire Tilson wakes in Captain Lucien Roper’s arms—with amnesia! Her handsome rescuer believes she’s a member of the aristocracy he detests, yet he risks all to see her “home,” where she learns she’s betrothed to a wealthy stranger. Claire is convinced she doesn’t belong here…and Lucien is the only man she trusts to uncover her past and claim her future! 

The second book in a duology, our amnesiac heroine finds herself mistaken for the heroine in A Lady Becomes a Governess. There are two types of readers: those who avoid amnesia plots like the plague and those who are drawn to them like a moth to flame. I tend to fall in the latter category, namely because I always have to see for myself if the author can pull it off. Gaston is a seasoned Regency pro, so I’m hopeful.

Desire Lines by Elizabeth Kingston

All he ever wanted was to go home.  

Leaving his life as a noble hostage behind him, Gryff has fled from one danger to another, never safe, always longing for a forbidden return to his conquered Welsh homeland. Held captive by villainous men, his unlikely savior is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen – and the most deadly. Her silence is unnerving, her generosity unexpected, and her pointed warning that she will not be an object of lust is perfectly clear.  

Nan has no doubt the ragged Welshman she has saved from certain death was born to better things, far different from the servant’s life she’s led. Though the last thing she wants is a companion on her journey to find her cherished sister, she is compelled to help the man with haunted eyes and a mysterious past. But she feels the pull of his fascination every instant, and her own unexpected desire soon takes them places neither could have foreseen. 

OK, so how did this series fly under my radar?! 13th century and the conquest of Wales?! How did I miss this?! I like medievals. Again, high stakes conflict and one of those moments in history where loyalty was everything. And Lord help you if you were loyal to the losing side. Anyway, we routinely see English and Scottish medievals. We even see a small mattering of Irish medievals. But Welsh? And it’s a road romance. I’m a mere mortal after all. I cannot possibly resist.

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

Mrs. Bertrice Martin—a widow, some seventy-three years young—has kept her youthful-ish appearance with the most powerful of home remedies: daily doses of spite, regular baths in man-tears, and refusing to give so much as a single damn about her Terrible Nephew.  

Then proper, correct Miss Violetta Beauchamps, a sprightly young thing of five and sixty, crashes into her life. The Terrible Nephew is living in her rooming house, and Violetta wants him gone.  

Mrs. Martin isn’t about to start giving damns, not even for someone as intriguing as Miss Violetta. But she hatches another plan—to make her nephew sorry, to make Miss Violetta smile, and to have the finest adventure of all time.  

If she makes Terrible Men angry and wins the hand of a lovely lady in the process? Those are just added bonuses. 

This new novella from Milan is part of the Worth Saga and sounds positively delightful! When was the last time we got not one, but TWO, heroines over the age of 60? Seriously, this just may be the first one ever. And both of them sound like they’re well past giving a damn. I’m halfway to swoon already.

Marrying Her Viking Enemy by Harper St. George 

A Saxon maiden  

Bound to a Viking warrior  

Part of To Wed a Viking: The conquering Danes have taken everything from Elswyth—even her mother. So, despite the uneasy truce between their people, she knows where her loyalties lie. Until she meets towering Rolfe, leader of the opposing forces. Her mind knows this muscled Viking is her enemy. So why is her traitorous body so tempted by his suggestion that she become his wife? 

OK, so I have a thing for medievals and it’s probably because the time period plays so well to the Enemies to Lovers trope. When done right it’s utterly sublime. St. George has written Vikings before, but this is the first in a new series.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to this month?

Top 5 Unusual Historicals for November 2018

I love the ease of digital reading and online shopping, but when it comes to browsing I still struggle with missing the experience that brick and mortar retailers provide. Case in point, looking for historical romances published in November 2018 on The ‘Zon netted me a bunch of books with half naked women on the covers with “Daddy” in the title. Um, not what I’m looking for - thanks for that Amazon. Anyway, in between the combination of averting and rolling my eyes, I did uncover some intriguing sounding historicals - none of which had “Daddy” in the title.

Unmask Me If You Can by Shana Galen

This masked lord…

Lord Jasper, younger son of a marquess, suffered horrible burns fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He wears a mask to hide his face from the stares and screams and finds comfort in the shadows. Jasper is an exceptional bounty hunter, so when a woman summons him to her deathbed and asks him to find her runaway daughter before she passes away, he doesn't refuse. Jasper is close to his quarry when he's knifed by an assailant. Imagine his surprise when he regains consciousness in the arms of the woman he seeks. Except she's not at all what he expected.

Is not the only one with scars.

On a remote cliff on the sea, Olivia Carlisle calls her five-year-old son in from an approaching storm. But the little boy is more interested in the man he's found on the trail to their hidden cottage. Olivia fears men and wants nothing more than to leave the injured man where she found him. But his knife wound is severe, and with the approaching storm, she knows leaving him will condemn him to death. As Jasper begins to heal, Olivia acknowledges her attraction to him, even though such emotions terrify her almost as much as returning to London. Jasper must convince her that her only chance at safety is to challenge the man who pursues her. They must travel into the lion's den—he to face his vulnerability and she to face her worst fears.

The fourth book in The Survivor’s series, this one has major Wendy Catnip: Beauty and the Beast and a heroine with a Big Secret who nurses the hero back to health. Reviews I’ve seen indicate that while past characters do show up, this book stands alone but noted that the heroine is a rape survivor. No indication on if that is graphically depicted, but a trigger warning all the same.

A Texas Christmas Reunion by Carol Arens

The neighborhood bad boy…

Is he back for good?

Widow Juliette Lindor believes in Christmas miracles. For the sake of her small children, she hopes there’s one that will restore her town to its former glory.

But when Trea Culverson returns, he brings all the passion she thought she’d never have again.

With the town firmly set against him, can she show them and Trea that trust and love are just as powerful as any Christmas gift?

I am a sucker for a Christmas-set redemption themed romances and a prodigal son with a bad boy reputation he has to live down is a personal favorite. This sounds like just the sort of romance I like curl up with on Christmas Eve.

Cadenza by Stella Riley

The performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.

Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy … and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.

And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle … if they dare believe in it.

Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives … most notably, their own.

And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware. The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.

The Regency has such a stranglehold on the genre that what inevitably happens to fans of either Georgian-set or Victorian-set romances is that we often get Faux Regency instead. This description for Riley’s sixth book in her Rockliffe series reads like the most Georgian thing ever. I’ve seen positive mentions for the previous books, and I have no idea how well this one may stand alone, but given that well-executed Georgian romances aren’t exactly thick on the ground, I wanted to mention this to Georgian lovers in the event Riley is a complete unknown to them.

A Healer for the Highlander by Terri Brisbin

She can save his son, but can she resist the Highland warrior?

A Highland Feuding story

Famed healer Anna MacKenzie is moved by Davidh of Clan Cameron’s request to help his ailing young son.

She wants to help—and the commander has unknowingly provided the introduction to the clan she’s been looking for. But Anna has a secret, one that could jeopardize the fast-growing, heated passion between them…

Terri Brisbin has written numerous medievals for Harlequin Historical and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past. This is the fifth book in her Highland Feuding series and I’m a sucker for heroines with Big Secrets and healers.

The Wise Virgin by Jo Beverley

It was quite daring of Edmund de Grave to rescue Lady Nicolette de Montelan before her father found out she was pregnant with an enemy family's child. Unfortunately, he kidnapped the wrong woman when Nicolette's cousin, Joan, took Nicolette’s place as the Blessed Virgin in the Christmas re-enactment—a last minute change that seemed fitting given her "condition".

Now, Lady Joan finds herself trapped in a cave on Christmas Eve with the great Edmund de Grave and neither are very happy about it. He's fuming because his plan was spoiled and worrying about his brother, now in enemy hands. She's perturbed that a man she thought a hero is the type to get a lady "with child" outside of marriage.

There's a battle brewing as the fires of ancient hatreds are stoked and the true spirit of Christmas is about to be tested.

Jo Beverley passed away in 2016, leaving behind a well-loved backlist and numerous fans. This is a digital reprint of a novella that first appeared in the 1999 anthology, The Brides of Christmas. From what I can determine, this is the first time the story has been available in digital, a welcome holiday present to her many fans!

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to this month?