Angel’s Assassin by Laurel O’Donnell is suspenseful historic romance. Lady Aurora lives in the time of romantic castles, ambitious missions and far-reaching cruelty. Her task is to undo the evil her mother has spread throughout the land under her rule, but Aurora is up to the task. A stranger enters the picture winning her trust, while keeping his true purpose behind his visit secret.

Damien is a slave and a trained assassin. He is good at what he does, so good, in fact, that his master agrees to release him if he kills one last person. As a cold, calculating killer Damien never asks why a person must die, he just carries out his duty that is until he meets Aurora. The woman shines like a light into his dark life, illuminating corners he’d forgotten, making him yearn for both home and love. The only problem is to gain his freedom he must kill the only woman who ever truly cared about him.

Lady Aurora is aware her mother’s evil continues to reap consequences no matter how hard Aurora works to correct the wrong done. Her mother’s killer might possibly come back for her. Dark brooding Damien enters her world upsetting her already tenuous balance by creating forbidden desires for someone not of her station. She finds herself drawn to the unsuitable man. He is a stranger who keeps so much from her. Even though she knows all the reasons to stay away from Damien, she fails to heed them.

Angel’s Assassin moves at a nice pace with excellent descriptions and supporting characters. There is a period flavor with no textbook-feel history lessons. Damien and Aurora’s romance progresses in stages as most romances realistically do. Usually finding out your lover is also your assassin is a bit off putting. As a reader, I wanted the two to work out their differences with no bloodshed.

Angel’s Assassin is a wonderful page-turner romance. Make sure you have enough time to finish it because you will not be putting it down. Two thumbs up for Ms. O’Donnell and Angel’s Assassin.

Lovers of Lisa Kleypas' Wallflowers series, this book is for you. You can enjoy A Wallflower Christmas without reading the previous books, but it won't mean as much. It is more like a wonderful reunion during the holidays. There is a darling new romance between brash American, Jake, and his fiancee's companion, Hannah. Complications ensue.

Too say more would give away the plot because it is a short tale. My one gripe is the book is too short, about 200 pages. Out of those pages, close to a quarter is spent rehashing the details of everyone else romances from previous books. It doesn't leave much time for Jake and Hannah.

Still A Wallflower Christmas is a fun read. I adore Lisa Klepas' books.

The Husband List by the team of Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly is an amazing book in several ways. It is a regency romance full of titled gentlemen, the idle rich partying and beautiful gowns. Unlike some historicals that can be heavy on description going on about what each person wore, the draperies, and the imported oriental screens, this book doesn’t. Instead, the spunky American heroine Caroline carries the tale, resisting her mother’s desire to marry her to a nobleman. How good is the book?

I resisted buying it because I didn't want to pay the hardback price. My loving husband bought it, presented it to me Friday night. I finished it on Saturday. I read long into the night using a penlight to illuminate the words. Slumber eventually forced me to take a break, but I found every excuse I could to take the book with me. Reading ten minutes before I walked into exercise class, reading it in the bathtub, the book rode in the car with me just in case a moment presented itself. Twenty-four hours later, I finished the book.

My gluttony caused me to gobble the book in huge choking gulps racing through it. Sigh, it was no more. Sometimes as writers, we analyze books as we read. A good book draws you in and takes you on a journey never allowing you time to think about the writing. The Husband List did just this.

Why is it so much better than other historicals? It has more of a contemporary romance feel about it. No narrators are busy educating me about the do’s and don’ts of the time. The writers assumed most regency fans understand the period. While gowns or jewels are mentioned, there is no lengthy recital of every article of clothing the women wore. The tale focuses on Caroline, an American heiress, whose social climbing mother is determined to marry her to nobility. Caroline would rather have adventures the way her brother and his friend, Jack, do as opposed to going her mother's route. In fact, she'll do almost anything not to marry, and she's done it before. Which is why a nobleman hellbent on marrying her is surprising and definitely suspicious. It raises the hackles of both her brother Eddie and his friend Jack. I appreciate the story was not a history lesson, but a romantic tale about a love that wasn’t supposed to be. There was also a sub plot of love missed by a pair of mature characters. Overall, the combination of streamlined tale without the heaviness of a history lesson, a forbidden romance, and a very evil villain was a delight.

My only hope is Janet and Dorien will pair up for another tale, perhaps, The Wife List.

The Beauty Bride by Claire Delacroix, the first book in the Jewels of Kinfarlie has gone digital. This historical romance first came out in paper in 2004. It is still has spellbinding and fun in a new format. Alexander, Laird of Kinfarlie saddled with five unmarried sisters and no money for dowries is desperate to marry the oldest off. The oldest Madeline insists on holding out for love. This is her story.

Madeline doesn't plan on being a spinster, any more than she plans on stopping her sisters from marrying. It just happens. Rather like her parents’ unexpected death, or her fiancé going off to war and never returning. She misses the poetic James, with his endless lute playing and ballads to her beauty. His face begins to fade, along with his attributes. All she can really recall is the gentle warmth of being loved. Sure, her brother needles her to marry, but it is her life.

Rhys FitzHenry has a price on his head, but he has a plan to restore his family holding. He stumbles onto an auction for a beauteous maiden called Madeline. She shares the same name as the last heir to the family holding. He bids on the fair lass hoping to ensure the family legacy through marriage. What he’s gets is no grateful girl, or biddable wife.

Her brother and aunt have misgivings about the auctioning off Madeline, especially after her fiancé James shows up the next day. Unfortunately, Madeline ran away in the night, while Rhys pursued her. It becomes a battle in earnest for Rhys to win her affection, escape pursuers, and relatives who would kill Rhys to gain his inheritance.

Rhys is especially an endearing character because he is a brawny knight who believes he has no courtly skills to sue to woo Madeline. His way with a tale and a caring gesture charms both Madeline and the reader. Madeline’s insistence on holding onto her dream of James is somewhat trying until she faces the reality of what life actually requires to get by. The family is so much fun with its arguments, talents, and fairy seeing moments that they are easy to love.

The Beauty Bride is a delight from a veteran romance writer. I will confess that Claire Delacroix manages to make the Middle Ages sexy, which nothing short of amazing when you consider how few baths they took. This is a fun read; you’ll want to read the entire series.

Emma’s Journey by Callie Hutton is much more than a historical romance. It is a tale of the grit and determination of the earlier settlers who chose to head west. Emma, the heroine didn’t intend to go west leaving her home and family in Indiana, but her husband Peter has other ideas.

Emma tables her reservations about joining the wagon train aware her husband is anxious to make a fresh start somewhere else. Weeks into the trip, not only it is harder than she imagined, but it becomes even harder. Peter dies trying to control a spooked horse, leaving Emma alone. Devastated, she buries Peter along the trail and asks for an escort back home. Her request shows her innocence that the wagon train, can stop, and honor her request.

Davis Cooper is hurt trying to save Peter from the out of control horse. The wagon train boss puts him in Emma’s wagon to care for until he can get back on his feet. The uptight woman secretly amuses him, but he does appreciate her care. He finds himself helping Emma with her wagon. He admires her pluck, and endurance, despite the fact she makes no secret of her desire to return to Indiana.

Life is difficult crossing the rugged terrain, and impossible for a woman alone as Emma quickly finds out. If she drops out of the train, she’ll surely perish. Only Davis Cooper’s continual help keeps her going, but a single woman can’t keep accepting the help, or companionship of a single male. His solution is marriage. How can she marry a stranger, especially when she just buried a previous husband? Even though she finds herself drawn to him, accepting her proposal will put her back in the same uncomfortable position she had with Peter traveling to a place she doesn’t want to settle.

Emma is a dynamic character who grows through her various hardships. Davis Cooper is an emotionally wounded individual who finds solace in Emma. The antagonist of the entire tale is the trail itself. Miss Hutton goes into detail to show the various difficulties of the wagon train members. It is a man against nature conflict that has you rooting for Emma, and the other wagon train members.

Emma’s Journey is a historical romance, but also is a journal of the hardships the early western settlers faced. This sweet romance should appeal to historical romance and romance fans alike.

Captured by a Cowboy by Jean Barrett is a rugged western with a heart of gold. Get ready to saddle up and hit the trails with a determined shyster Annie Johnson, and the equally stubborn cowboy Brady. Annie blazes a larcenous trail that is easy for Brady to follow. He recognizes his target despite the fact she’s dressed as a good sister. When it comes to Annie Johnson, nothing is as it seems.

Annie Johnson knows her stepfather is responsible for her mother’s death, and she swears on her mother’s grave to make him pay. Her stepfather slides through towns quickly, which exhausts her meager supply of money. To fund her pursuit she turns to the cons her stepfather taught her, and a few she came up with on her own. She almost has her stepfather when a handsome cowboy gets in her way.

Brady has one mission that is to find his employer’s granddaughter and bring her home. He finds her in a mining town dressed as a sister and shaking miners down for the widows and orphans fund. While he definitely doesn’t approve of Annie’s activities, Brady finds himself drawn to the conniving spitfire. Even threatening her with jail fails to persuade her to accompany him.

Annie knows Brady doesn’t think much of her. It doesn’t matter because she doesn’t think much of his employer, her grandfather. If it hadn’t been for her grandfather her mother would be alive instead of buried in a shallow grave. After her father died, her grandfather made sure she and her mother felt unwelcome to stay at the family ranch. If her mother hadn’t left town, they wouldn’t had fell in with her stepfather. Why would she want to see such a man, even if Brady hogtied her and carried her there?

Annie and Brady definitely strike sparks off one another. Grandfather as a dying man who has many regrets, and little time to reconcile things is well done. The western setting comes alive in this tale. I could almost hear the train whistle. Brady is a classic cowboy tough, fair, and reasonably taciturn. Think young John Wayne. Annie for all her deviousness is more like Lucy managing to cause one disaster after another.

Captured by a Cowboy is a sweet western with some sensual undertones. If you like western romances, then you’re sure to like this one.

The Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill tells a classic problem of two individuals who are tricked into marriage. This tale is a Harlequin Historical. It is currently free on Kindle.

Miranda finds herself wet and dripping on the doorstep of her future husband. Even though she’d been born a lady, the family’s fall from respectability, has her scrubbing floor and clearing gardens. A family friend through a series of letters with an old friend manages to concoct a scheme that will land a titled husband for Miranda.

Marcus is well aware that his mother missed her calling when she didn’t take to the stage. He is well used to her manipulations with her last one being a dying scene, her own. She manages to get Marcus to promise to marry a gel who happens to be a ward of an old friend. He readily agrees knowing with his mother’s death that he’ll not have to honor his promise. Little does he know his mother has put wheels on the marriage, even before she died?

Marcus is exasperated by the dripping female who shows up at his door, while his brother, St. John, charms Miranda with empty flattery and courtly gestures. Marcus chooses to marry Miranda to save her name, and even though she’ll make a very inconvenient duchess.

There is no chemistry at all between Miranda and Marcus. Why should there be when she spends all her time either being wooed by St. John, the brother, or thinking about him? The characters did not act in an appropriate fashion for their period. It is hard to like a heroine who is so incredibly stupid and faithless. She’s the girl who married the nice guy in high school, and you’re clueless why he ever put up with her.

The Inconvenient Duchess is full of typos, wrong words, contrived plot, and unlikable characters. This book has brought down my overall opinion of Harlequin. The name used to stand for quality, I am not so sure now. This book was free, but I was still aggravated that I wasted so much time reading it. On the other hand, I have downloaded several good free books. This isn’t one of them.

In real life, most of us are hypocrites at some time or other. This is because we are in real life, not fiction and in real life if we have half a brain, we learn stuff, and change our minds, or learn not to make stupid declarations. It's understandable IRL, because we can't tell if we're being stupid until after we figure it out. Generally it's something we work out before we hit our mid-twenties. It's only if we keep doing the stupid thing, and keep saying we're not doing it that it is heinous (in real life.)

Unlike reality though, heroes who are hypocrites can be tolerated sometimes, when circumstances warrant, but they have to really get past their hypocrisy, and extend themselves. Or be Mr. Darcy. Adam is not Darcy, but then…who is?

Another thing that has gotten old hat to me is when there's a simple misunderstanding which could be cleared up with a one minute discussion between hero and heroine. Yes, a good sixty seconds of honesty could have eliminated the premise for this book.

The startomg premise of A Scandalous Proposition by Wendi Soliman has the hero, Lord Fitzroy, rescuing Mrs Smith (AKA Florentina Grantley) from a man's pursuit. After coming to her aid, he takes her to the vicarage; but then after he sees her entering a brothel, and then finding this allegedly fallen woman working is Tina, his mother's hired companion, he has to investigate.

Regarding hypocrisy? Said "hero" Adam is a close friend of the madam. Adam and madam get along famously, in fact, with plenty of past history between them. So, Adam's attitude toward Florentina rubbed me the wrong way. Now, I'm not saying that even in 2012, if my mother were still alive, if I would hire a hooker to be my mother's companion or sit quietly by while one was hired for her. And I would sure never think of using Adam's blackmail solution, (a less than honorable position for a historical romance hero!) And I have to admit that in Adam's head, his intrinsic response to the fact she's a hooker (while he has fond memories of availing himself of hookers back in the day), set me against him. But then, I wasn't too thrilled with Florentina Grantley either since she demonstrated some pretty stupid behaviors.

Complications? Adam's pre-war fiancée/sister-in-law, human trafficking.

Now all of this is handled in the A Scandalous Proposition. The characters do grow somewhat, and they change (or the reader's perspective of them changes.) I really don't like to give away the story, so there's not that much that I can say about how things work out. I can't express my reactions to Florentina's and Adam's motivations are without giving away the plot.

But if you can tolerate a heroine who makes less than genius decisions, is a bad liar who thinks of convoluted solutions to simple problems, and a hero who seems only as honorable as he needs to be, and who seems perfectly willing to exploit situations to his own advantage, you might like this book. No huge surprises here, but I might be interested in finding out if your favorite character (like mine) is Adams mother.

One True Knight by Dana D’Angelo is a medieval romance that highlights the differences in the freedoms enjoyed by men and women of the period. Rowena’s ability to be her own woman, and manage the castle grind to an unexpected halt when her father, Sir Phillip’s announcement that he will marry. Ten years ago, when his beloved wife died he swore to never remarry. He also chose to ignore Rowena because he blamed her for the plague her mother contacted from nursing her. Her impulsive nature forces her into action.

Jonathan is more than a wandering knight he is a man on a mission. His first mission is vengeance against the Grey Knight. The nefarious knight is so bold to send him messages and taunts causing Jonathan to scurry across the country in search of the knight. His cousin has asked him to vet Sit Phillip before she marries. His cousin a widow finds herself forced to choose between her two neighbors to be able to afford some type of protection for her people.

Rowena escapes the castle disguises as a simple servant. She isn’t quite sure of her plans, but she realizes a new mistress will change her role in the house, and maybe even push her out of it. Jonathan disguises himself as a peasant too in an effort to find out more about Sir Phillip. In an effort to escape her father’s guards, she chooses to kiss Jonathan as a distraction, sparking an attraction between the two of them. She flees refusing even to leave a name with the besotted knight.

One True Knight has a great deal going on, besides romance including intrigue and betrayal. There is also the double disguise of Jonathan and Rowena pretending to be other people, always a handy plot device. The chemistry between the two works well. The characterization of the cousin being a pawn in the games of men is accurate for the period. This is a good debut novel, but there are areas where it could be stronger.

More detail would give me a sense of being there. Historical references were rather vague, specific ones as a tie-in could help in getting a feel for the period, and the people. In the beginning, Rowena acts more like a spoiled brat caring more about herself, than anyone else. She doesn’t care about her father’s happiness; she’s just upset because his marriage might mess her life up. She sets up her own nursemaid to get in trouble so she can run the country in disguise. Rowena improves as the book goes on maturing with the chapters.

One True Knight is a good bet for medieval romance fans. Its short length makes it a quick read too

Amanda Quick’s Crystal Gardens is the first in the series of Ladies of Lantern Street series, which deals with three unusually gifted women who become companions in dangerous situations that require their talents. Crystal Gardens is the story of Evangeline Ames and Lucas Sebastian.

Evangeline Ames escapes to the country to settle her frazzled nerves from her almost murder in London. This is why it is so unnerving to hear a prowler in the house. He isn’t trying to be quiet, probably because he doesn’t expect her to live to report him. Evangeline planned for such a predicament, however, she didn’t plan to end up in the arms of the mysterious owner of Crystal Gardens.

Sebastian Lucas returns the much-rumored Crystal Gardens to investigate the curious death of his Uncle. He realizes things aren’t as they seem from the glowing gardens resulting from botanical experiments to his uncle’s death. On his first day, he meets his new tenant, the intriguing Miss Ames. On the second night, he finds his arms wrapped around the delectable lady.

Crystal Gardens are a menace drawing in treasure hunters searching for Roman gold hidden, only to become fatalities of the gardens’ mysterious power. Paranormal energy fuels the plants, vision pools, and Lucas’s ability to track his uncle’s killer, and the person after Evangeline.

Evangeline and Sebastian have wonderful chemistry together. There are some enjoyable secondary characters in Molly and Stone. The setting is appropriately eerie, which adds to the atmosphere.

Crystal Gardens is another delight from a master author Amanda Quick. It is a fun, sexy read. I would recommend it for all romance fans.

Jane Feather is a bestselling historical romance author. An Unsuitable Bride is her final offering in The Blackwater Brides series. The premise for the series is a roguish uncle who holds the family fortunes declares all three of his nephews must marry unsuitable woman to inherit. This stems from the family being so puritanical they refuse to accept the uncle’s love match because she was unsuitable. The Blackwaters may be very proper, but they are horrible with money. Enter the unsuitable brides to save the day.

Alexandra Douglas didn’t start out as unsuitable. Maybe her parents argue more than most, and her father even divorced her mother. Still Alexandra thought everything would turn out as she originally planned with a healthy dowry for both her and her sister. The family lawyer informs her that due to her father’s unexpected death the girls are penniless and bastards too. Somehow, dear old dad forgot to mention that.

Peregrine, is the last unmarried Blackwater male. The family is in dire straits if he doesn’t find some unsuitable girl. Maybe they might have to sell some of their estates, get rid of a few dozen servants or something. The boy is trying visiting brothels and theatres trying to pick a likely gel. Then he meets a woman disguised as someone else in an obvious criminal scheme. He’s found his bride in Alexandra.

The woman won’t listen to him. Alexandra won’t listen to her sister, headmistress, or her old nurse either. It is hard to feel sorry for someone who thinks her way is the only way. Many things didn’t ring true about this story, but this was a major one. The chemistry between Alexandra and Perry didn’t work for me.

Peregrine, our hero, is a lazy, sullen boy, not a man. He takes no care about the woman he professes to love, carelessly cavorting with her in public as if she were a whore. Then when she leaves, going into danger, he pouts about it. He waits, he moans, he feels sorry for himself. The woman has been in prison a week before he shows up.

There are several issues with this story including introducing topics and characters that are never resolved. They just seem to disappear rather like Alexandra’s driving desire for revenge, and her mother. By the end of the book, I was disappointed because the questions remained unanswered.

What puzzles me is Jane Feather used to be one of the giants of her craft, what happened? This is not the author, who created swoon-worthy romantic heroes. I am disappointed in this fine author, but I imagine others who didn’t expect as much as I did will be content. A few may wonder about the mother, the alleged hero, the motive, but then again, maybe not. To be fair, Jane Feather at her mediocre best is still better than most romance authors are. I hold to the belief she’ll be back to her usual form once again. I would not recommend An Unsuitable Bride, but if you started the series, I am sure you’ll want to finish it with this book.

Tame a Wild Bride by Cynthia Woolf follows the adventures of Rosie Stanton, a city-born girl who agrees to travel west to marry a young rancher with children. Back in 1890, genteel women seldom had adventures, they lived sedate lives composed of plate painting, music recitals, and bringing up children. Bad news was none of that was happening for our heroine, Rosie.

If being a spinster wasn’t bad enough, Rosie finds herself on her brother and new sister-in-law’s good graces since both her parents are dead. Two adult women cannot live in the same house in peace, especially if one of them is Rosie’s sister-in-law. With her fingers crossed, and hope in her heart, she willingly boards the train to travel west to an unknown bridegroom, a widower with two motherless children.

The handsome man who meets her surprises her with his bitter attitude, and refusal to have any more children. Tom Harris, her groom, rushes her off to the preacher with the travel dirt still on her face so they can be respectably married before picking up the children and heading home. Rosie not only battles with her husband’s attitude that she’ll leave too, but also the memories of the deceased wife she assumes Tom loved beyond belief.

Rosie seems to have everything going for her, with the children liking her, and Tom changing his ways, when the “deceased” wife returns. It is never a good thing when that happens. Rosie is a fighter, but the other female is pure evil, and has the law is on her side as Tom’s legal wife.
Rosie is a spunky heroine who refuses to let unknown tasks and a bitter man get her down too much. The fact she wrestles with the reminders of the former indulged wife all around the house makes her more human, and likable. The chemistry between Tom and Rosie is good. The children are willing to accept her, as most abandoned children would be when presented with a kindly surrogate. The wife that wouldn’t go away is reminiscent of stalker girlfriends. See they even existed over a hundred years ago.

Tame a Wild Bride is a sweet historical romance with just the right amount of sexual tension, and suspense. This book has the feel of Avalon publishing. If you’re an Avalon fan, then this is the book for you.

For many of my generation, a lifelong career of reading romance novels began with an introduction to the romances penned by Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. But then came Kathleen.

Kathleen Woodiwiss was a revelation. She wrote stormy romances with the relentlessly macho hero and his too-helpless but generally spunky heroine. She and her world-changing sister novelists did away with Victorian and Puritanical presentation, did away with Austen's biting social commentary and instead wove sexual attraction into her stories—nothing subtle about it—back when no one else even whispered what went on behind closed doors. And readers ate it up. The heroines of those earlier romances were waiting to be rescued, but they were presented to a generation of Cinderella-dreaming women who had been raised in two family households with strong father figures. They had the lowest possible career ceiling, and what they dreamed of, mostly, was the man who would take them away from all this. Bodice ripper novels were stories of foreplay, where the heroine inevitably made one (if not more) escape by virtue of knowing where to put her knee. Very clearly where the hero was concerned, "No! No! No!" did mean "Yes! Yes! Yes!" (Pity the poor men of this generation. No wonder they were confused.) There was nothing anywhere around that resembled anything close to subtlety.

I bring this ancient history up because The Bastard by Brenda Novak is something of a throwback. It has a number of the elements of the standard issue bodice rippers: young heroine forced by circumstance into marrying wealthy old coot. The heroine is way too young; and the antagonist is way too old. She's all goodness, beauty and virtue; he's fat and old and gouty. She's a poor but noble refugee; he's old (really decrepit and homely) British money and he may be noble in name but not in deed. The hero is by contrast, perfect. In contrast to the husband, he's got honor. He's so honorable that bad guys who walk through his sweat can practically be transformed by his goodness. He's got virtue by the shipload. He's got a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. He's got sex appeal in spades. He wears a uniform. He's noble, and by the time we hit the end of the book we're about to find a noble pedigree too. In the case of The Bastard, the hero actually is a bastard son. But that is no deterrent.

Our introduction to the story begins with meeting Jeannette Boucher, whose family of French refugees depends on her marriage to an ugly mean-minded penguin of a Baron. She runs away from the Baron on her wedding night, and ends up in a rough tavern where she has her first altercation with Lieutenant Crawford Treynor of the Royal Navy, after which she disguises herself. Jeanette signs on to Treynor's crew as thirteen year old cabin "boy" Jean Vicard, ensuring the reader of the usual confrontations and close calls, and assorted other hazards aboard ship. (Ships are always a genre favorite because of the close quarters.) Once Treynor figures out her gender, he gets to do heroic things, like take a flogging for her and lust after her, while she runs away from him, is predictably headstrong, and get herself into scrape after scrape, more trouble than necessary. There are some sensual scenes, not as explicit as most.

There are plenty of sweet romances I've really liked. Maybe I'd have scored this book higher a few years ago. Now I expect more complexity in my characters, especially historical characters. The plot just felt haphazard. There were more "events" than there was story or pacing, and most of the problems the heroine gets into are problems she makes herself. (I myself have written characters very like her, and I am so over the heroine whose random hard-headedness cause her worst problems. Nowadays if you have a heroine who makes stupid choices, she's literally boxed in and has no other choice. Grueling and believable for the reader.) Yes, I know some of the best fiction has characters who do exactly the same thing, and they do so with more complex, more convincing justification.

In the past, I have read some of Ms. Novak's work that I would rate more highly than this book. I've been trying to think why I felt The Bastard falls short. It's not the lower level of sexual tension between the characters. It may be that they are just so black and white--so stereotypical; or maybe it is something else entirely--Ms Novak has written so many books. Was it written too fast, or without layers? A reviewer should know exactly why, and I don't know. This one just lacks that urgent sense of discovery, that feeling of riding the moment into something new, which is embedded so well in some of Novak's other works. Maybe she knew too soon what would happen, or while she was writing, maybe this book failed to take on a life of its own. I would still conjecture that there are younger readers with different expectations who would like this book more than I do.

Who remembers the satisfaction of reading a good gothic novel? The heroine was always virginal, intelligent, but never left things alone. She always stirred the pot. The dark, brooding hero enters the scene sweeps her away to his mysterious home where unusual, even supernatural occurrences happen. Is it all starting to come back? The pleasure as you turned each page wondering about the lifespan of the heroine. Indulge your love for the gothic romance with New Concepts offering NIGHT GARDEN by Maggi Andersen.

The story opens with our heroine, Laura Palmer, considering her friend, Howard Farmer as a possible lover. As a forwarding thinking girl of the 19th century, she’s heard talk at the university about passion and wants it for herself. Maybe her desperation is born of the fact she knows she’ll be married off soon to an appropriate man. Then again, it could be because of the unexpected death of her twin sister making her want to take as much from life as possible. Whatever it is, Laura is always pushing the envelope, not sure exactly what she wants, but knowing it is more than she has now.

Lord Nathaniel Lanyon is not interested in marrying again, especially after the betrayal of his late wife, and the rumors that followed after her tragic accident. An occasional mistress and a willing widow is enough for this passionate man, until he meets Laura. He knows the invitation to the Palmer House by Lady Palmer is a setup. Still, he is intrigued by the tales of headstrong Laura. Once he glimpses the vibrant redhead, he knows she has to be his. Her reluctance to comply with his plan makes the plan so much sweeter.

The race to the altar is not the tale at all, but all the things not mentioned is the crux of the plot. Just like the Tarot cards Laura’s Aunt Dora displays; there is danger, adventures, lies, and possibly heartbreak, maybe love, but before Laura can read all the cards, her aunt gathers them up. Laura walks into her new life blind to past events, and even to those happening around her.

Even though she is passionately drawn to her new husband, he keeps her emotionally distant refusing to tell her where he goes at night. There so many unexplained things from his deceased wife’s room perfectly preserved, to paintings that hint at the former wife’s questionable behavior, to nightmares that hide more than they reveal, to a surly butler who seems to dislike Laura the moment they meet. Laura determines to uncover these mysteries. Hoping she might discover something to help her win her husband’s love if she doesn’t die in the process.

NIGHT GARDEN does a good job of portraying a couple who married while in the thrall of physical attraction, but knowing very little about one another. Maggi Andersen shows excellent insight in depicting Laura’s reactions to her husband abrupt and mysterious ways as a young, indulged girl might react. Who doesn’t cringe at the docile heroines of yesteryear who simply accepted their husbands’ pronouncements without a complaint? Laura is a heroine that more women can embrace. The settings enhance the story and give the reader the sense she is there with the couple so vivid are the details.

NIGHT GARDEN works well as a gothic romance. We have the previous wife dying in a suspicious way, the close-mouthed, but handsome hero, surly servant, threatening landscape, and a secondary character who knows more than she is willing to tell. Underneath it all is a combination of danger, passion, and the unknown. Often what you don’t know can kill you. The name Laura Palmer kept the image of the cult classic show, Twin Peaks, in my mind the entire time. I wonder if the author has even heard of it. NIGHT GARDEN and find out if this Laura gets her happy ending unlike the television one.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction when I am in the mood for it but sometimes it seems as if everything is set in Scotland or England. When I do find a good American history story, it is in a time period I'm just not interested in. I came across Never Love a Logger and found out it was set in Minnesota in the late 1880's and I thought to myself, "Gee, I've never read a romance set in Minnesota before" and so I gave it a try.

Early in the book we find out Carrie Banks has a thing for big, strong men, namely Will Tellers. But unfortunately Mr. Tellers is a logger and she's been told by her aunt to never even consider a logger – they are rough men who'd just as soon take advantage of a woman than marry her.

Oh she knows in her heart that he's probably not a man to be interested in, but that doesn't stop her heart from racing every time he's near. It also doesn't stop her from enjoying a stolen kiss or two from such a forbidden man. But how will she keep her heart to herself and how will she ever forget the warmth of his kiss when the logjam breaks and he returns back home?

Will Tellers is not in any mood to deal with a woman. Still hurting from the loss of his wife and baby, he's got more important things to worry about – namely a record setting logjam that is both dangerous and expensive and the loss of his sawmill to arson.

Oh but is she hard to forget. Miss Banks definitely has a lot going for her in the looks department, but she's smart and capable too. Just what a man would want in a wife – if he were looking for one.

Sure the kisses he'd stolen from her were enough to make him dream of more and definitely she was feisty and fun, but there was no way he'd marry again only to face heartbreak if something went wrong. Then again, the nights got awful lonely with an empty bed.

And so it goes that a game of cat and mouse plays out between Carrie and Will. Edna Curry gives the reader a fine story and some very likeable characters in Never Love a Logger.

The insight into what it must have been like to live in a small Minnesota town in the late 1880s is fascinating. Another interesting aspect of the book is how Ms. Curry explains the limits put on women in various circumstances, such as publishing. All modern women will benefit from seeing how their ancestors suffered from the social rules of the day.

My only complaint with Never Love a Logger is that in trying to educate the reader on the specifics of the time period, Ms. Curry occasionally crosses the line into force feeding facts. In a few places it would have been nice to see a smoother transition between storytelling and education. But these places are few and can easily be overlooked for the good parts of the book.

For those who want to know, there are some sexual encounters revealed in the story, but they are of the romantic kind and are fairly tame.

In the mood to go back in time for awhile? Pick up Never Love a Logger and see what 19th Century Minnesota has to offer. It's a pleasant trip.

Reviewed By Shawn Marie Mann
© October 2011