Hop To It: Unusual Historicals for April 2023

I don't know about y'all but I can't believe we're already into April. This month I broke up the monotony of work, home, sleep, with a trip north to see my niece, Lemon Drop, compete in an equestrian event.  Once she started school I stopped sharing photos of her on this blog, but long time readers will be shocked to hear she is now 13.  I know, I don't know how that happened either.  Also, SHE'S A ROMANCE READER!  She likes rom/com type stuff, so yes - all those illustrated covers her Aunt Wendy turns her nose up at because I am an old fuddy duddy.  I told her she needs to share the books she likes with me because I am nothing if not nosy. 

Will I eventually get her hooked on Harlequin Presents and Unusual Historicals?  Well, time will tell.  In the meantime, let me pique all y'alls interest with the April Unusual Historical releases that caught my eye.

 

Desert Phoenix by Suzette Bruggeman (Kindle Unlimited)

A woman with a past is not a woman without a future. 

Nevada's gold country, 1901. 

No longer young or fresh, Tempa is staring face to face with the whore's unholy trinity: alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. While her best friend, Belle, has chosen laudanum, Tempa finds escape in literature, which she shares with the illiterate prostitutes in a book club-like setting at the cribs. Forced into prostitution as a girl after losing her family to yellow fever, Tempa also retains a sense of self-worth by using her knowledge of herbs to heal others. 

When she nurses Henry—a good-natured, young German immigrant on the run from a man who has reason to want him dead—Tempa sees a future she longs for but cannot allow herself to claim. So when the noose tightens around Henry's neck, she ransoms her life for his. 

At once a sweeping love story and a harrowing account of the harshness of the American Old West, Desert Phoenix is the tale of a middle-aged, crib prostitute who gains an unlikely ally in her struggle for physical and emotional survival. Based on local history and family stories passed down from Bruggeman's grandfather, this engaging and evocative novel for fans of Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn interweaves Tempa's rise from the ashes of her old life with Henry's turbulent passage into manhood.

There are a lot of self-published historical westerns out there and to be honest I'm naturally wary unless I've got some sort of "history" with the author.  So I'm really happy that AztecLady posted a review for this one recently.  Y'all I want to read the hell out of this book and I've already downloaded it.  

Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season. 

Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox. 

Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now, as a member of Parliament, Gideon is on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all—a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore. 

But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection . . . but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?

Publishers seem determined to move historical romances into trade paperback and slap illustrated covers on them no matter how much I dislike the trend.  Yes, yes, profit margin blah blah blah - my blog = all about me.  Anyway, the cover is at least pretty (I love the colors and it's a clinch even if it is illustrated...) and it's a Victorian (I love this era for historical romance).  Also the back cover blurb evokes some actual history - which isn't always a guarantee in historical romances.  It's also the first book in a new series and De la Rosa's debut with big boy Berkley / Penguin Random House.

Bound to the Warrior by Ella Matthews 

A tense battle of duty and desire in this Medieval romance 

Wed to a stranger 

Awakened by his touch 

As the new wife to stoic knight Benedictus Monceaux, innocent Adela finds herself in a whole new world… Their union is one of convenience and power, but her feelings for the warrior unsettle and excite her. Hiding an inner strength, Adela knows she can be a strong ally to her husband—but she must walk a fine line between duty and desire, both at court and in the bedchamber…

At this point I could literally not read anything but Harlequin Historicals for a year and I'd still have plenty in my TBR.  Matthews is a relatively newer writer for the line and this is the fourth book in her second series for them. Seriously, if you love medievals, Harlequin Historical is more than happy to keep you in a steady supply.

A Manhattan Heiress in Paris by Amanda McCabe 

Step into the roaring 1920s Parisian music scene 

Leaving Manhattan… 

For a secret Parisian affair… 

New York darling Elizabeth Van Hoeven has everything…except freedom. But now Eliza’s traveling to study piano at the Paris Conservatoire and falling for jazz prodigy Jack Coleman in the process! A love like theirs is forbidden back home, and as they make beautiful music together under the Parisian lights, Eliza and Jack face a difficult choice: the life they’ve always known, or the possibility of a life they never could have imagined…

McCabe is a prolific writer and she's certainly bitten off quite a bit with this latest release. 1920s! Paris! Music! But also a really complicated relationship between an heiress and a jazz musician that will undoubtedly face many, many challenges (especially "back home").  I've always found McCabe to be a very solid writer so I'm giving this one a whirl.

At the Queen's Summons by Susan Wiggs (Reprint)

Feisty orphan Pippa de Lacey lives by wit and skill as a London street performer. But when her sharp tongue gets her into serious trouble, she throws herself upon the mercy of Irish chieftain Aidan O'Donoghue. 

Pippa provides a welcome diversion for Aidan as he awaits an audience with the queen, who holds his people's fate in her hands. Amused at first, he becomes obsessed with the audacious waif who claims his patronage. 

Rash and impetuous, their unlikely alliance reverberates with desire and the tantalizing promise of a life each has always wanted—but never dreamed of attaining.

The final book in Wiggs' Tudor Rose trilogy bows this month with yet another new cover iteration. This book was originally published in 1996 under the title Dancing on Air and it's first appearance under the new title of At the Queen's Summons debuted in 2012. I really need to read this trilogy this year because they all sound fantastic. Also I've had the original print editions in my TBR for an embarrassingly long time....

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

Roarin' In: Unusual Historicals for March 2023

March roared in like a lion for yours truly. Besides some truly wild weather for the part of the world I live in (rain, so much rain...), it's been a crazy busy month on the work front. My reading has suffered a bit because of that, coming in fits and starts.  The current patterns seems to be barely reading during the week, then gorging at the trough on the weekends.  Which is also why I'm fashionably late with this month's Unusual Historicals post - but it's worth the wait! Some choice picks this month, including a Wendy favorite reprint!  Read on Macduff...

 

The Untamed Warrior's Bride by Michelle Willingham 

To claim what should be his… 

He must claim her! 

Piers of Grevershire might have been born illegitimate, but he’ll fight for the land he knows is his. To do so, he must win Lady Gwendoline’s hand in marriage! What starts as a secret mission of vengeance soon becomes more as Gwen’s unique fire ignites a powerful connection between them. And when they’re married, Piers finds earning Gwen’s trust means revealing his true identity—and the betrayal that risks destroying their fledgling bond…

Let me tell you how grossly behind I am on Willingham's backlist - I need to go on a binge of my Harlequin Historical collection, which is now forming it's own mini-cluster of mountains in my TBR pile.  This is the second book in her Legendary Warriors series and features that most medieval of staples, the hero out for vengeance who inconveniently falls in love with the heroine who initially started out as a tool to achieve said vengeance. I'm expecting some good groveling here.

The Prospector's Only Prospect by Dani Collins 

After eight days in a cramped stagecoach, divorcée Marigold Davis already regrets her decision to come to Denver City to marry. She certainly didn’t realize she’d signed up for mosquitoes, mud, and scores of rough men eyeing her like a hot meal on a cold day. But with her life in Kansas all but incinerated, Marigold needs a husband. Even if she’s not the bride that gold prospector Virgil Gardner is expecting… 

Virgil Gardner has a reputation as a grumpy hard-ass, and he’s fine with it. He’s also no fool—this is not the woman he agreed to marry. It takes a tough-as-nails woman to survive the harshness of a Rocky Mountain gold claim, and this whiskey-eyed, gentle beauty is certainly not the type. Now it’s just a matter of how quickly she’ll quit so he can find a wife who will stick. Someone who can care for the only thing he values even more than gold–his children. 

But Marigold isn’t about to give in. Cramped in a one-room shack. Berry picking turned into a bear escape. Or cooking for an entire crew of bottomless pits. She’s got more grit than most. And just when Virgil starts to realize his replacement bride might be the treasure he’s been looking for, an unannounced guest arrives…to change everything.

I will never not want to read a historical western written by an author who came to write said historical western from some other sub genre.  I'm still lugging around the baggage from the Great Historical Western Migration to Regency Ballrooms and Almack's Terrible Lemonade from the late 1990s and early 2000s after all.  So when an author does the opposite of that - and comes to historical westerns - I'll always be intrigued.  Collins is best known for her work with Harlequin Presents and this is not only her first historical western, it's her first published historical.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller 

During ball season, anything can happen— even love. 

It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way - not her parents’ three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is. 

Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead - a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos - and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows. 

This is Biller's third book and of course I haven't read the other two yet. Like you even have to ask?  Anyway, she's garnered herself a loyal and ardent fan base in Romancelandia already, and this one is set in Vienna and the heroine's family owns a hotel. I cannot say no to hotels, boardinghouses, and the rest of their ilk in historical romance. It's a very particular blend of catnip that I like.  Anyway, this is a trad published (Macmillan), trade paperback release - so I'll likely be leveraging my library card for this one.

Frontier Midwife Amanda by Kate Bridges (Reprint)

Will Amanda's new life be torn apart if she reveals her tender secret and opens her heart to Chase? 

Midwife Amanda Ryan moves to a beautiful Rocky Mountain town after a heartbreaking family loss, optimistic and hopeful for a new start. She doesn’t expect a run-in with the tall and handsome owner of the town’s lumber mill, former Mountie, Chase Murdock. 

Who is he to claim that her new cabin is actually his cabin, declaring she’s been swindled by the same crook who just fleeced his lumber mill? She insists she has papers to verify she bought the home, fair and square. 

Setting out to prove each other wrong, Chase and Amanda can’t risk getting emotionally entangled. He’s had it with dishonest people, and she's hiding something. Yet, their time together is lively and filled with laughter. Unexpected kisses turn into passion. Their intimacy builds into something much deeper, but Amanda’s not ready to move forward after all the heartache she’s suffered in the past. 

Bravely and silently dealing with the loss of her own baby and resulting infertility, then her shocking divorce, Amanda nurtures the other women in town. She can’t have children and wonders if she could ever be the wife that Chase deserves. 

Falling in love with Chase means risking her heart. Or is he a stronger man, a kinder man, than Amanda might imagine? 

Gah! I've been waiting forever for this to be reissued because it's a good 'un! Originally published as The Midwife's Secret by Harelquin Historical in 2003, you can read my review from 2005 (!) right on this here blog. The hero has been swindled by his business partner, his fiancée has run off, and now the heroine shows up claiming to own a piece of his land. For her part the heroine has a pretty big secret. She's a midwife and not only is she divorced (!), she's barren. And she knows for a fact that women tend to not want barren, divorced women as their midwife.  

The Maiden's Hand by Susan Wiggs (Reprint)

Roguishly handsome Oliver de Lacey has always lived lavishly: wine, weapons and women are his bywords. Even salvation from the noose by a shadowy society provides no epiphany to mend his debauched ways. 

Mistress Lark's sole passion is her secret work with a group of Protestant dissidents thwarting the queen's executions. She needs no other excitement—until Oliver de Lacey drops through the hangman's door and into her life. 

As their fates become inextricably bound together in a struggle against royal persecution, both Oliver and Lark discover a love worth saving…even dying for.

 

Wiggs wrote several historical romances (in a variety of settings and time periods) before she settled into the women's fiction she's been writing for the last several years.  This is the second book in her Tudor Rose trilogy and it was originally published under this title back in 2009.  Prior to that though, this story's first appearance was back in 1995 under the title Vows Made in Wine. I really, really need to dig this trilogy out in 2023 because this back cover blurb practically sings to me...

That's it for this month's trip through Unusual Historicals.  What are you looking forward to reading?

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?

Deck the Halls: Unusual Historicals for December 2022

December is traditionally a dead zone in publishing. By this point in the calendar year most of the holiday reads and "big books" they're hoping will score with holiday shoppers have been out for a few months, and then it's marking time until the big spring release push. You'd think self-publishing would have changed this a little bit - but turns out...not so much.  But that doesn't mean we're completely devoid of Unusual Historical options! We've got a new release with a non-titled couple in pre-Victorian England and two reprints from strong authors.

The Gentleman of Holly Streetby Lotte R. James

Friends become lovers in this gothic romance 

Will this Christmas… 

Change their lives again? 

After self-made gentleman Freddie Walton rescued penniless Philomena Nichols at Christmas eight years ago, he never imagined that he would build his empire with her. Yet whilst they have created a life together as friends, Freddie can’t let their special connection become more than that. Not when his dangerous past continues to haunt him… But what happens when Freddie’s feelings for Philomena also refuse to stay hidden?

This is the third book in James' Gentlemen of Mystery series but my perception is that this series is a loosely connected one.  I've seen mixed reviews for this one online, but I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers, and here we've got two characters from humble backgrounds who are not only friends, but business partners.  Oh, and an added tidbit I've gleaned from reviews?  The heroine is agoraphobic.  

Her Warrior King byMichelle Willingham (reprint)

He was given a choice—wed a Norman bride or watch his people die. 

King Patrick agreed to wed the daughter of his enemy to save the lives of his people — though he swore he would never bed her. Yet Isabel de Godred has no intention of being cast aside by her new Irish husband… 

 She tries to make the best of her marriage and find a place for herself among the MacEgans. But the tribe refuses to accept her as their queen, and neither will her proud warrior king. 

 Despite Patrick’s vow of celibacy, there is no denying the forbidden desire rising between them when they are alone. For if he dares to love Isabel, he risks his very throne… 

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2008, this self-published edition is book two in Willingham's MacEgan Brothers series. I have hop-scotched around this series and this is one of the few entries I haven't read yet.  Set in medieval Ireland, our hero is blackmailed into marrying the Norman daughter of his enemy.  Obviously not pleased with this turn of events the hero naturally swears to not consummate the marriage - except of course the poor man fails to realize he's trapped in a romance novel.  Good luck with that boyo.

The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs (reprint)

Chicago, 1871 

In the aftermath of a destructive blaze, romance begins to blossom... 

Chicago is burning, and Lucy Hathaway is running for her life. As she rushes past a fine hotel engulfed in flames, a wrapped bundle tumbles from a window into her arms. Seconds later the building crumbles—and Lucy is astonished to discover the swaddled blanket contains a baby. 

Five years later, Lucy walks into Rand Higgins's bank and knows: the orphan she rescued that day actually belongs to this ruthless financier. Now, to keep the child she's come to love, she'll have to give up her hard-won freedom and become his wife. But giving Rand her heart? That, she could never have expected...

The third and final book in Wiggs' Chicago Fire trilogy was first published in 2001 and this is (at least) the second reprint and third cover version I've seen over the years.  So why am I highlighting a multiple time reprint book in this post? Because it's my absolute favorite in the trilogy and I slapped it with a glowing review back in the stone ages when I reviewed it for TRR.  In fact, it might be my favorite of Wiggs' historical work thus far (I'm still working through backlist yo).  Anyway, it's great and now I want to reread it.  

This is the final Unusual Historicals post for 2022! I'm not sure where the year went but I can't say I'm all that sad to see it go.  So in the name of looking on the bright side, if you read an Unusual Historical this past year you really enjoyed - drop that title in the comments.  I'm not above in looking for suggestions when it comes to prioritizing my TBR.

Coming Back Around Again: Unusual Historical Highlights for October 2022

Seriously y'all, can you believe it's October already?! So many of my Romancelandia friends are embracing Spooky Season and hauling out their sweaters from storage and I'm here in Southern California bracing for triple digit temperatures and everything catching on fire. I don't miss snow, but I sure do miss autumn. But I'll get a taste of it next week when I'm heading back to the Midwest for a visit home. Apple cider, donuts, sweatshirts, visiting my favorite used bookstore ever - I got plans y'all, which will hopefully entail reading. What better way to start thinking about "airplane reading" than looking at October's crop of Unusual Historicals? Here's what's catching my eye landing in October.

 

The Boxing Baroness by Minerva Spencer

Magnetic and educated, Marianne Simpson has the manner of a lady and the looks of a lover, not a fighter. Neither of which explains her occupation as a boxer in her uncle’s circus, Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre. Nonetheless, when St. John Powell, the exquisitely handsome Duke of Staunton, begins turning up at her shows, she finds herself dangerously distracted by the powerful peer’s mysterious presence. With her safety at stake, Marianne’s days in the ring are numbered. But how long can she fight her attraction to the man the ton calls Lord Flawless? 

St. John Powell doesn’t just want Marianne Simpson, he needs her … to rescue his brother, who is being held for ransom by a treasonous English baron—the man all of Britain knows as the Rake of Rakes. No matter how little Marianne wants to see her duplicitous ex-lover, the man responsible for the humiliating nickname the Boxing Baroness, St. John must convince her. Even if it means climbing into the ring with the beautiful boxer and taking everything she’s got...

I won't disclose how long I've had an ARC of this (it's embarrassing) but how could I not have one-clicked a book featuring a Regency-era boxing heroine?!  Even better? This is the first book in a series.  Really looking forward to this.

Tempted By Her Outcast Viking by Lucy Morris

Tempted by the warrior… 

But she’ll never wed! 

Brynhild had once been close to Erik—until he’d betrayed her, and she’d hoped never to see him again. Now the fiercely independent shieldmaiden needs Erik’s skills to rescue her sister. Striking a truce with the tough, isolated loner, they reach a mutually beneficial deal: help her and, in return, she’ll help him in his quest to find a wife—by teaching him how to please a woman in bed! 

Speaking of books I'm looking forward to, this would be #1 with a bullet this month, Morris' second book in her Shieldmaiden Sisters series. I enjoyed the first book in this series when I read it this summer, and Brynhild is my kind of catnip heroine, the "fearsome one" who undoubtedly is masking her hidden vulnerabilities.  Oh, and the hero she falls in a love with? A bastard sold into slavery by his vile father. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

 

The Duke's Defiant Cinderella by Parker J. Cole

An arranged betrothal… 

By royal approval! 

As the servant girl who discovered she was the long-lost daughter of a comte, Lilas Moreau is no stranger to scandal. Now, more famous for her art, she won’t have her independence threatened by the return of her betrothed, Bastien, Duc de Languedoc. As a new attraction sizzles between them, Lilas is relieved he wants to end their secret marriage contract. But a summons from the queen means they’re forced to continue their charade!

Now this is exciting! And intriguing! Set in 18th century France a heroine determined to remain independent finds that independence threatened by a betrothed she was hoping was gone and...Marie Antoinette. This tale is set in 1775 so I'm not expecting any French Revolution shenanigans, but plenty of scandal and excess - which I am here for.

Father Goose by Jodi Thomas (novella, reprint)

 

Dispirited by war, Trapper Hawkins accepts a job hauling five little rich girls to Dallas. All he cares about is the money. He doesn’t expect the girls will awaken his spirit—much less that their intriguing nursemaid, Emery Adams, will awaken his heart. And when danger strikes as Christmas Eve nears, he definitely doesn’t expect Emery and the girls to risk their lives - for him...

A haunted hero who agrees to escort a woman and her five young charges to Dallas and gets more than he bargained for. This novella was originally published in The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas anthology, which at the time of this posting was available via Kindle Unlimited.  As someone who loves Christmas romances, just out here performing a public service....

Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Handeland (reprint)

Once Upon a Time . . . 

Beauty Became the Bounty Hunter 

Cathleen Chase was an unassuming farmer’s wife until her husband was gunned down in front of her. Desperate for revenge, she offered con artist Alexi Romanov anything if he would school her in the art of the dodge. 

Alexi didn’t realize he’d turned Cathleen Chase into Cat O’Banyon, a ruthless bounty hunter who would stop at nothing to catch the man who murdered her husband, until she was gone. That she took the heart he didn’t know he had along with her surprised him even more. 

Now Cat has a bounty on her head. Hunted by every gunslinger from Abilene to St. Louis to Denver, she won’t last long without an ally. With little choice, she turns to Alexi for help. But, again, he has his price. Again, she will pay any cost. 

To survive, they must trust each other, but in a relationship forged from deception and lust, is trust even possible? 

And if they can’t learn to trust, can they ever learn to love?

Sometimes y'all I could just kick myself in the teeth. Just READ this back cover blurb. I want to read the hell out of this and I'm pretty sure I have a print copy of this languishing in my TBR somewhere. Because I am THE. WORST.  Anyway, this was originally published by Berkley under Handeland's Lori Austin pseudonym and rights have obviously reverted.

Longing for Julia by Kate Bridges (reprint)

When Julia advertises for a husband, a bad-boy-turned-Mountie from her past shows up in town. 

Julia O’Shea could use a rugged man by her side as she’s running her busy newspaper and raising her young son alone. The young widow’s unique solution is to advertise for a gentleman husband. She’s dismayed when Ryan Reid arrives. 

Ryan loved and left her ten years ago. To everyone’s surprise, the black sheep of the Reid family has returned as an upstanding Mountie surgeon and commander. It doesn’t change how badly Ryan treated Julia. For her, there’s no such thing as second chances. But in all these years, Ryan has never forgotten Julia. She’s still as intelligent, beautiful and passionate. Now in his effort to save the town from a dangerous unfolding disaster, Ryan wonders if he and Julia were ever meant to be together… 

Bridges' has been reissuing her Harlequin Historical backlist as rights have reverted, and this one was originally published as The Commander back in 2006 - and yes, it's another book I've got buried in my print TBR because I am truly THE. WORST. This is another of Bridges' Canadian-set westerns (Calgary in this instance) and the third book to feature the Reid brothers.

The Hostage by Susan Wiggs (reprint)

Chicago, 1871 

Deep within the quiet of the night, a city erupts into flames, and a spoiled heiress is soon whisked away. 

Deborah Sinclair is a beautiful, accomplished young heiress with a staggering dowry. But her fortune does her no good when, one horrible night, Chicago is engulfed in flames. 

Tom Silver will walk through fire to avenge a terrible injustice—and he may have to. But when he makes Deborah a pawn in his revenge, the heat of the inferno fades next to the attraction he feels for his captive. And the further he takes her from everything she's known, the stronger their passion grows, until it threatens to consume them both.

I believe this is the second reprint (and third cover art iteration) for The Hostage, which was originally published back in 2000. It was my first read by Wiggs and I reviewed it for The Romance Reader, which just goes to show how old I am. Anyway, the book opens with the Great Chicago Fire and our kidnapped heroine ends up on isolated Isle Royale in Lake Superior, Michigan - and naturally she's hiding a Big Secret. Wiggs has moved on to women's fiction but she wrote some really great historical romance of which this was just one.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?

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 the 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-