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?

TBR Challenge 2014: The Senator's Other Daughter

The Book: Halfway to Heaven by Susan Wiggs

The Particulars: Historical romance, Mira Books, 2001, Book 3 in Calhoun series, out of print but available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  When it comes to her historicals, Wiggs is an autobuy for me.  Also this story features a Pygmalion theme and I tend to love those.

The Review: Let me cut to the chase: I've had this book in my TBR for an embarrassingly long time.  As in, over ten years.  The reason for this is that while I tend to enjoy Wiggs' historicals, I'm not wild about politics in my romance novels.  And this particular story is set in Washington DC during the Gilded Age.  So languish it did until finally it jumped up to bite me for this month's "classic" theme.  Now, of course, I'm kicking myself for letting it sit so long.

Abigail Cabot is the intellectual, and awkward, daughter of influential Senator Franklin Cabot.  Abigail's passion is astronomy, and she combs the night skies looking for an undiscovered comet to name after her dead mother.  As intelligent as she is, she's not much for social graces.  She's at a society wedding making a muck of things when finally the object of her secret affection, the Vice President's son, asks her to dance.  Too bad he quickly gets his head turned by Helena Cabot, Abigail's breathtaking beautiful younger sister.

Witnessing Abigail's social awkwardness at the wedding is Jamie Calhoun, a newly elected Senator from Virginia.  Jamie is the stuff of dreams for hero-centric romance readers.  He's suave, charming, and slick in a non-sleazy sort of way.  Naturally he also has a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man.  Abigail wants nothing to do with him, but thanks to sister Helena, Calhoun soon finds himself living next door to the Cabot's.  This is nice turn of events for him since Jamie is working to block a railroad bill and needs Senator Cabot's influence in order to do so.  When he learns of Abigail's crush on the Vice President's son?  He figures helping her win the poor schmuck's heart, in turn fulfilling the Senator's desire to see his daughters advantageously married off, will get him some sway with the man.

We all know where this is going, right?  Pretty soon Abigail finds herself striking a bargain with Jamie, toss in a twist of Cyrano de Bergerac, and Jamie ends up getting his head turned by Abigail even before the My Fair Lady makeover comes into play.  For her part, while Abigail thinks she's in love with Lieutenant Boyd Butler III, she soon finds that when she should be thinking about him, she cannot seem to get Jamie out of her mind.

Even with Jamie's motivation being tied directly into politics, I will say that the politics do not overwhelm this story.  Plus, it helps tremendously that Wiggs sets her tale in the Gilded Age, a terribly romantic time period in American history (well, at least I think so at any rate).  There's a nice contrast, yet warm, sisterly relationship between Abigail and Helena, and Senator Cabot is stern and seemingly disapproving without being stereotypical Evil Romancelandia Father.

My only real quibble with the story is that Abigail's "relationship" with Boyd Butler III carries on for the vast majority of the story and I would have liked more pivotal scenes between her and Jamie to further illustrate why they fall in love with each other.  I "get" that they fall in love, but I guess I just wanted more - especially since Boyd's presence lingers on the page for a while.

This book is directly related to The Horsemaster's Daughter, and I vaguely recall that story now having read it eons ago (for the record, it was a keeper for me).  Wiggs makes this story stand alone well, but part of me wished that the earlier book was more fresh in my memory bank.  Oh well.  This is your fault for letting books languish for so long Wendy, and having a TBR that can be seen from space - with the naked eye.

Final Grade = B

TBR Challenge 2013: True Love At The End Of A Gun Barrel

The Book: The Drifter by Susan Wiggs

The Particulars:  American-set historical romance, 1998, Mira, currently out of print, but reprint scheduled for September 24, 2013.  Available digitally.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  At one point I glommed all of Susan Wiggs' historical romances.  Given that her backlist was fairly healthy at that time (the early aughts), I've still got several of her books lying around in the TBR.

The Review:  Past reactions to the Wiggs' historicals that I have read have ranged from Meh, It Was OK to OMG I Want To Have This Books' Babies!  While I'm not ready to take the Gone Fishin' sign off my ovaries, The Drifter is one of the really good ones.  As evidence by the fact that I stayed up until 1:00AM (when I had to work the next day) to plow through the second half of this story.

Now that her father is dead, Dr. Leah Mundy is the only doctor on tiny Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington state.  She's a good doctor, intelligent, no-nonsense, firmly believing in the creed of first-do-no-harm.  And while some of the townsfolk like to remind her that she has boobs and shouldn't being meddling around in medicine (hardly women's work!), she doesn't have a shortage of patients.  She also takes in borders at the large home that also doubles as her medical practice.  It's a quiet life, a lonely life - for Leah has no idea how to relate to others, having spent a lifetime trying to please a father who could not be pleased.  Then into her world comes Jackson Underhill, a man on the run from a law and now standing in her bedroom holding a gun on her.

Jackson has to kidnap Leah because his "wife", Carrie is very ill.  However it's his bad luck that Leah is not the sort of female to go along quietly, or willingly.  She agrees to look after Carrie, but she's not about to sail off in Jackson's leaky, decrepit boat - so she does what any resourceful female would do - she sabotages it.  Now, while Carrie is lying ill in one of Leah's guestrooms, Jackson finds himself stuck on the island in the home of a pretty lady doctor who has a way of getting under his skin.

When she's firing on all cylinders Wiggs has a way with creating interesting, sympathetic characters with intriguing personal baggage.  As readers, and knowing this is a romance novel, it's not much of a stretch to deduce that Carrie and Jackson aren't really married.  But they are bound together thanks to being raised in the same squalid Chicago orphanage.  Carrie has the kind of ethereal, delicate beauty that captivates men, and Jackson, having no experience with love or such beauty, becomes her protector from a very early age.  It's all he knows.  Protect Carrie, she needs protecting.  Her life eventually takes a more sordid turn when she's "adopted" by a pimp - but Jackson does eventually find her, rescue her, which means hightailing it out of Texas thanks to a dead body in Carrie's place of employment.  I'm convinced Jackson does not love Carrie so much as she's a symbol of all he's never had in his life.  He might think he loves her, but really what our boy has is a White Knight Complex.

Leah is a classic workaholic with vulnerability issues.  Her father, besides being a distant, uncaring asshole - was also not a good doctor.  Essentially he was a quack, and as a child Leah found herself hopscotching from one town to the next until finally they permanently landed on the island.  She's smart and a good doctor, but she doesn't have the easiest time of soft-peddling around people.  She's brusque, efficient, and never quite mastered the technique of "catching more flies with honey."  I also loved the historical tidbits Wiggs included about Leah's profession, and that she had our heroine do research (most notably, on addiction) when she was stymied by a diagnosis she wasn't all that knowledgeable about.

This is a good, solid read, but not without issues.  Carrie is the biggest fly in the ointment, insomuch as how her existence effects Jackson.  I was fine with Carrie herself as a character, but Jackson, after years of protecting her and feeling obligated to her (for whatever reason) - seems to dump those notions fairly quickly and easily towards the climactic finish.  I also felt like some of the secondary characters could have been disregarded entirely (most of Leah's borders) and the story would have been better served if the author had instead focused more attention on the lawman chasing after Jackson and the young medical student back east that Leah corresponds with.

But quibbles aside, I still really enjoyed this story and it's well worth a look (I think) for folks who like their historical romances with some American flavor.  It was a quick, delicious read I inhaled in two sittings.  Time well spent.

Final Grade = B

The Goodbye Quilt

Ever read a book, and even though you recognize that it's "good," you're struck by the feeling that you're the totally wrong demographic for it?  That's what happened to me while reading The Goodbye Quilt, the latest women's fiction (in other words, not a romance in sight) offering from Susan Wiggs.  This book wasn't written for me.  Not by a long shot.  It was written as a bit of a love letter to all those Moms out there who get hit hard by Empty Nest Syndrome.

Linda Davis is getting reading to drive her only child, daughter Molly, across the country to attend a prestigious university.  Husband Dan isn't going.  Instead it will be Linda and Molly, on one last road trip.  Molly fretting about the boyfriend she's leaving behind in their tiny Wyoming town and the uncharted waters that await her.  Linda fretting about getting the memory quilt she's making for Molly done in time, and also about what she's going to do with her life now that her only child is leaving the nest.

This slim category-length story is the kind of gift hard cover book you give to your female friends, with children, who are of a certain age.  If you're the type of mother (or you know one) who struggled with letting go; who floundered a bit on the question, "What now?" after the kids leave home - this book is very likely going to speak to you.  Wiggs is a very capable writer, and there were moments of truth that shined through this story that will very likely resonant with the audience she's targeting.

That being said, readers shouldn't go into this tale expecting a big, meaty, angst-filled read.  That's not really what this is.  It's more a sweet story about moving on, letting go, and allowing your children to sink or swim on their own. 

I will say that I struggled for the majority of this book to wrap my mind around Linda.  No, I'm not a mother. So maybe I just don't "get" it - but more than once I wanted to reach through the pages, smack her upside the head and tell her, "Get a life!"  Her entire existence seems so wrapped up in being "Molly's Mom."  Almost like she abandoned being an individual person once she gave birth.  I "get" that this happens to some women, but it's just so.....annoying to read about it.  Luckily for me (and readers), Linda eventually seems to "get" it.  Also, the inclusion of her husband, Dan, helped tremendously.  He's largely off the page, not taking this road trip with mother and daughter, but when Linda talks to him on the phone?  He says all the things that I'm thinking in my head.  This ultimately seems to help Linda move forward.

The Goodbye Quilt won't be a book that will resonant with every female reader out there, but for many mothers and maybe even some daughters?  I think it will.  Again, it's a slim story, so readers shouldn't expect a dissertation of character development and back-story, but Wiggs hits on enough truths that in my mind's eye I see a lot of turned down page corners, and affixing of Post-It Notes to certain passages, for readers to go back to rediscover those moments again and again.  If you're in the target demographic?  I recommend buying an extra box of Kleenex.  You're likely going to need it.

Final Grade = B-

Sumptuous Historical Romance Covers

I'll admit it - I'm a ho for reprints. I know they tend to annoy most readers (unless the reprint in question is for a book that had been selling used online for outrageous sums), but for me it's a by-product of my job. Yes, I buy lots of shiny, new titles - but I also spend quite a bit of time scouring for reprints to replace tired, worn, pathetic looking copies of old favorites.

Sometimes the publisher simply recycles the old cover art, or uses a bland, stock image. Or in the case of Harlequin, they revamp them entirely, with delectable results. This summer, Susan Wiggs' Chicago Fire trilogy is getting reissued (for the second time, by my count) and Harlequin has slapped them with such sumptuously beautiful covers that I'm actually contemplating buying them all over again. Never mind that I already have two copies of The Firebrand in the Bat Cave Keeper Stash.






Seriously, aren't these covers dreamy? Of course if you don't like beef-cake-less, headless heroine covers, you probably think I'm demented, but....

Dreamy, dreamy sigh.

And for the record, I lurved The Hostage and The Firebrand, but was meh on The Mistress. These will be released back-to-back-to-back starting with The Hostage on June 29. I hope they sell oodles, since I keep hoping Mira will let Wiggs write Phoebe's story.

Tuesdays mean late nights here in Library Land. It's the one night a week I have to be here until 8PM - bringing entertainment and education to the masses. It's not so bad really. Being here late means I don't have to come into work until later in the day - and I tend to get a lot of reading done during those early morning hours.

I just finished up a book by one of my favorite authors, Susan Wiggs. The Lightkeeper was originally published back in 1997, but has since been reprinted. I'm still working my way through this author's backlist, but will say that this isn't her best effort. Still it's very good - and I can see how her style has evolved just in the last few years. The Lightkeeper shows the beginning emergence of the voice that I found so compelling to read in one of her later books, The Firebrand.

Interestingly enough - The Lightkeeper and The Firebrand have something in common, besides similar titles. The plots hinge on major coincidences. In The Firebrand, the heroine saves the hero's baby daughter when she is dropped from a burning hotel window during the Great Chicago Fire. The hero believes his daughter dead - until 5 years later when he learns the truth - that his baby is being raised by a radical suffragette.

The hero of The Lightkeeper rescues the pregnant heroine after she washes ashore - the only survivor of a shipwreck. Things get complicated because the father of her baby is the hero's former rival, who also happens to be his brother-in-law.

Now what are the odds that these kind of things would happen in real life? Not very likely - but it makes for interesting fiction. It also makes for compelling reading, as Wiggs has a way of throwing a ton of adversity at her characters, but still manages a happily-ever-after without making me groan in disbelief. Not only do I keep coming back for more - a little piece of me falls in love with her creations. A sign of a talented writer by my counts. I've pretty much decided that when she makes the jump to "the big time" with her first hard cover release in April - I'll be waiting at the cash register.