Misc. Monday: Top Ten Authors Reviewed on RtP

I promised to show you guys what my top ten authors list would look like if I nixed all genre restrictions, and here it is! To be fair, though, I did limit my list to authors of novels, leaving out graphic novel/comic writers, because I don't feel up to scoring those fairly. I'm a lot happier with this list, and I think it will be interesting to come back in six months or a year and see how things have changed. Or not.

 

#10: Julie Anne Long

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18

Reviewed Works: The Perils of Pleasure, Like No Other Lover, Since the Surrender, I Kissed an Earl, What I Did for a Duke, How the Marquess Was One

What Make Her Awesome: Julie Anne Long writes the Pennyroyal Green series, a which centers around a small English town with two feuding families. I didn't really care for the first book of the series, finding it mediocre and boring. But then, magically, as I tried more of her work, I discovered that she has a talent for writing a different, unique, and engaging story for each character. You never know exactly what you're going to get, but you know it's likely to be good. Visit Her Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/index.shtml

#9: Nora Roberts

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18

Reviewed Works: Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Blue

What Makes Her Awesome: Nora Roberts writes amazing contemporary romance with some of the best male characters around.  Visit Her Website: http://www.noraroberts.com/

#8: Gena Showalter

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18.5

Reviewed Works: The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Pleasure, The Darkest Whisper, The Darkest Passion, The Darkest Lie, The Darkest Secret

What Makes Her Awesome: Until compiling this list, I had actually forgotten how very awesome I found these books. I was so fed up and disappointed by two or three of her books, that I actually stopped reading her altogether. Her place on this list, though, makes me think that I really ought to give her another shot. Her books are dark and sexy and worth at least a try.   http://members.genashowalter.com/

#7: Jennifer Estep

 Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 19.5

Reviewed Works: Spider's Bite, Touch of Frost, Kiss of Frost, Dark Frost, Crimson Frost

What Makes Her Awesome: I discovered this author via SBTB book club, when we read Touch of Frost. Since then, I've been following the Mythos Academy series pretty closely, and I've also started her Elemental Assassin series. She's very imaginative, writes wonderfully strong heroines, and ties everything together with a pleasantly simple style. Visit her website: http://www.jenniferestep.com/

#6: Karen Marie Moning

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 20.5

Reviewed Works: Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, Shadowfever

What Makes Her Awesome: A long while back, before I started this blog, I read a fair number of the Highlander books. I've never reviewed them, but I enjoyed them well enough. Then the fever series came out, and I was extremely skeptical. Back then I didn't read urban fantasy in general, and I specifically didn't care for first person narratives. She totally converted me. Visit he website: http://www.karenmoning.com/kmm/

#5: Courtney Milan

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 22

Reviewed Works: Unlocked, Unveiled, Unclaimed, Unraveled, The Duchess War

What Makes Her Awesome: Courtney Milan writes historical romance in a completely unique way. She writes heroines that you can like and respect, and deliciously unusual heroes that you fall in love with. No cookie cutter characters for her. Visit Her Website: http://www.courtneymilan.com/

#4: Larissa Ione

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 28.5

Reviewed Works: Pleasure Unbound, Passion Unleashed, Desire Unchained, Ecstasy Unveiled, Sin Undone, Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, Lethal Rider

What Makes Her Awesome: Larissa Ione writes dark, sexy paranormal books that I always enjoy in a purely guilty sort of way. I love the demons and the visits to hell and all of the characters with their possibly evil dark sides. All around good, creepy fun. Visit Her Website: http://larissaione.com/blog/

#3: Kresley Cole

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 34

Reviewed Works:  A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest For the Wicked, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Desires After Dusk, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kiss of a Demon King, Deep Kiss of Winter, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, The Poison Princess, Shadow's Claim

What Makes Her Awesome: Kresley Cole's writing has a brilliant, light funniness that somehow does not detract from the sexiness of her stories. He heroines are strong and independent and her heroes are fierce, scary monsters. I can't help but look forward to her books, even after a few let me down. Visit Her Website: http://kresleycole.com/paranormal-romance.html

#2: Ilona Andrews

Cumulative RtP Star Rating 34.5

Reviewed Works: Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, Magic Slays, Gunmetal Magic, On the Edge, Bayou Moon, Fate's Edge

What Makes Her Awesome:  Ilona Andrews is actually a husband and wife writing team, and they are awesome in general. Not only are they very talented, they're also fairly generous with their work, always offering little goodies and alternate points of view on their blog. I'm not that impressed with The Edge series, but the Kate Daniels series is easily one of my favorite ongoing series to date, and I'm not really sure what I'll do with myself when it ends. I've got a couple years to go, fortunately. Visit their website: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/

#1: Lisa Kleypas

  Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 38

Reviewed Works: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, The Devil In Winter, Scandal in Spring, Mine Til Midnight, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Tempt Me at Twilight, Married by Morning, Love in the Afternoon

What Makes Her Awesome: At first, her position in the number one spot on this list probably seems surprising. I haven't talked about Lisa Kleypas as loudly or as often as some of the authors lower on the list. But, in fact, Kleypas is responsible for sparking my interest in historical romance, when before I stuck almost entirely to PNR with the occasional contemporary thrown in. She can make a dull setting and situation funny, and her characters are as charming as you could ask for. Visit Her Website: http://www.lisakleypas.com/

Misc. Monday: Top Ten Romance Authors on RtP

Developing a list of the ten most highly rated and reviewed authors on this blog was something of an educational experience. It was fun to look back on the books that I've read and reread over the last year and a half. I initially composed this list with pure mathematics--by adding up positive star ratings on a spreadsheet. I then made some readjustments based on how re-readable I find the author's work and how likely I am to read more of their work in the future.

This being a purely romance list forced me to leave off a lot of authors who write in other genres. A top list of authors with no genre restrictions would be a very different list indeed.

#10: Julie Anne Long

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 11.5

Reviewed Works: The Perils of Pleasure, Like No Other Lover, Since the Surrender, I Kissed an Earl, What I Did for a Duke

What Make Her Awesome: Julie Anne Long writes the Pennyroyal Green series, a which centers around a small English town with two feuding families. I didn't really care for the first book of the series, finding it mediocre and boring. But then, magically, as I tried more of her work, I discovered that she has a talent for writing a different, unique, and engaging story for each character. You never know exactly what you're going to get, but you know it's likely to be good. Visit Her Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/index.shtml

#9: Jolene Perry 

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 12

Reviewed Works: Night Sky, Knee Deep, The Next Door Boys

What Makes Her Awesome: Jolene Perry writes deeply thoughtful contemporary YA and New Adult romance. I was first introduced to her work when I was asked to read Night Sky for a blog tour, and it turned out to be one of my favorite books of 2012.  I like that she writes nice, well rounded teenagers that occasionally find themselves in rough (really rough) situations, and that they deal with them realistically. Visit Her Website: http://www.jolenebperry.com/Jolene_B_Perry/Jolene.html

#8: Karina Bliss

Cumulative  RtP Star Rating: 12.5

Reviewed Works: Here Comes the Groom, Stand-In Wife, Bring Him Home, What the Librarian Did

What Makes Her Awesome: Karina Bliss writes Harlequin Superomance, dramatic and heart-wrenching stories set in contemporary New Zealand. Her Special Forces series, which begins with Here Comes the Groom, is particularly enjoyable. The heroes are soldiers trying to put their lives back together after their war experiences. Visit Her Website: http://www.karinabliss.com/

 

#7: Nalini Singh

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 16

Reviewed Works: Angel's Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Consort, Archangel's Blade, Archangel's Storm

What Makes Her Awesome: When I first encountered Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series, I was really unimpressed. Her other series, though, is purely fantastic. The Guild Hunter series is gripping, elegant, deeply addictive paranormal romance. It blends horror, fantasy, and pure love stories in as seamless a manner as I've seen. Visit Her Website: http://www.nalinisingh.com/

#6: Gena Showalter

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18.5

Reviewed Works: The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Pleasure, The Darkest Whisper, The Darkest Passion, The Darkest Lie, The Darkest Secret

What Makes Her Awesome: Until compiling this list, I had actually forgotten how very awesome I found these books. I was so fed up and disappointed by two or three of her books, that I actually stopped reading her altogether. Her place on this list, though, makes me think that I really ought to give her another shot. Her books are dark and sexy and worth at least a try.   http://members.genashowalter.com/

#5: Courtney Milan

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 22

Reviewed Works: Unlocked, Unveiled, Unclaimed, Unraveled, The Duchess War

What Makes Her Awesome: Courtney Milan writes historical romance in a completely unique way. She writes heroines that you can like and respect, and deliciously unusual heroes that you fall in love with. No cookie cutter characters for her. Visit Her Website: http://www.courtneymilan.com/

#4: Nora Roberts

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18

Reviewed Works: Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Blue

What Makes Her Awesome: Math put this amazing author lower on the list, but that's purely because I read so many of her works prior to this blog, and although I've talked about them, I've never formally reviewed them. So, I bumped her up a bit. Nora Roberts writes amazing contemporary romance with some of the best male characters around.  Visit Her Website: http://www.noraroberts.com/

#3: Larissa Ione

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 28.5

Reviewed Works: Pleasure Unbound, Passion Unleashed, Desire Unchained, Ecstasy Unveiled, Sin Undone, Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, Lethal Rider

What Makes Her Awesome: Larissa Ione writes dark, sexy paranormal books that I always enjoy in a purely guilty sort of way. I love the demons and the visits to hell and all of the characters with their possibly evil dark sides. All around good, creepy fun. Visit Her Website: http://larissaione.com/blog/

#2: Kresley Cole

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 30

Reviewed Works:  A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest For the Wicked, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Desires After Dusk, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kiss of a Demon King, Deep Kiss of Winter, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, The Poison Princess

What Makes Her Awesome: Kresley Cole's writing has a brilliant, light funniness that somehow does not detract from the sexiness of her stories. He heroines are strong and independent and her heroes are fierce, scary monsters. I can't help but look forward to her books, even after a few let me down. Visit Her Website: http://kresleycole.com/paranormal-romance.html 

#1: Lisa Kleypas

  Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 38

Reviewed Works: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, The Devil In Winter, Scandal in Spring, Mine Til Midnight, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Tempt Me at Twilight, Married by Morning, Love in the Afternoon

What Makes Her Awesome: At first, her position in the number one spot on this list probably seems surprising. I haven't talked about Lisa Kleypas as loudly or as often as some of the authors lower on the list. But, in fact, Kleypas is responsible for sparking my interest in historical romance, when before I stuck almost entirely to PNR with the occasional contemporary thrown in. She can make a dull setting and situation funny, and her characters are as charming as you could ask for. Visit Her Website: http://www.lisakleypas.com/ 

RtP Top 10 Books Read in 2012!

It has been one heck of a year, ladies and gentlemen. I got finished school, moved, got married, adopted a demon posing as a cat...and I read some pretty great books too. So now, for your reading pleasure, I present the top ten books reviewed on Reading to Penguins in 2012.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, published in 2011, was reviewed in January. It's almost impossible to place genre-wise--not solidly romance or fantasy or anything else, but a little bit of all things fantastic. It tells the story of two magicians in a magical fight surrounding a circus. It's memorable for its rich imagery and setting driven story. It's a book to immerse yourself in, a book that makes you desperately crave caramel corn. If it's a bit low on the list, it's only because I felt the plot was a bit weak compared to some of the other books in our top 10.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was published in 2010, and I reviewed it back in March. It's a very simple YA romance, but I find it completely charming. I like that it's a "friend's first" love story, with a build up of chemistry that I always find appealing. The characters are fun and easy to relate to. Most importantly, the setting will have you wishing for a vacation in Paris tomorrow. I put it a bit low on the list only because, having glanced through it again, I do find that it does a lot of very cliched YA things--like the instant group of perfect friends for the new girl, and the Etienne's somewhat bitchy current girlfriend.

So, I don't read a lot of high fantasy. I don't have a lot to compare to. But Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, published in 2012 and reviewed this August, managed to leave an impression. It's a novel about dragons, and about a heroine who must accept her own deep connection to the dragons. The setting and plot are extremely creative. I liked that the author put us right inside Seraphina's head, allowing us to see her dreams and the secret visions that she keeps hidden away. It's a fun novel, but the plot is slow and the pacing stalls out at times, much to my frustration. It's still well worth your time.

The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley, published in 2012, found it's way onto my blog in July. Admittedly, this isn't my usual fair, and I don't know how many people it will appeal to. But I found it uniquely enjoyable. It's the story of a teenager who lived in isolation for years after her paranoid father kidnapped her from her grandparents. What stood out about this story, for me, was it's lack of a villain and it's ability to make the character sympathize, to some degree, with all of the characters. It's a serious book about love, insanity, finding your place, and learning to think for yourself. 

I knew at the outset that Fables was going to appear on this list somewhere, but it was honestly difficult to decide which one to put and where. In the end, I decided to put Volume 1, Legends in Exile, here. First, because it introduced me to the series and got me hooked. Two, because it actually made book of the month back when I reviewed it in October. Fables is a graphic novel series in which fairy tale characters are stuck in the real world, trying to live normalish lives. Legends in Exile is actually something of a murder mystery, but the plot is less important than the introduction of the fantastic fairy tale characters--all at once familiar and totally unexpected. If you only ever read one graphic novel, it should be Fables.

If you asked me which book I was most surprised to be including in a top 10 list, it would be Angelfall by Susan Ee. I say that because, on the surface, it sounds derivative and amateurish. Once you delve into it, though, you find that it's better than a lot of main stream, popular urban fantasy currently on the market. It's the story of Penryn, a teenage girl who wants to protect her little sister, and her broken journey alongside the angel Raffe. It's everything a post-apocalyptic story should be--horrific, disturbing, thoughtful, and vaguely hopeful. But be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger that might make you throw your reading device at a wall.

Night Sky by Jolene Perry is an absolutely fantastic contemporary romance. It was published in 2012, and I reviewed it in April for a blog tour, feeling mostly surprised and relieved to have really liked it. The characters and the romance feel very real, and the power of their impact lies in how serious and yet sweet it all is. Notably, it's told from the hero's perspective, and that male point of view put an entirely novel dimension to an otherwise simple story. Jameson is a typical guy in many ways, but a really nice guy all the same, and it's hard not to love him. It's hard not to love this love story.

Spoiler alert, folks, Duchess War by Courtney Milan was my favorite book of December. More importantly, it was the #3 book of 2012. It's a historical romance with a remarkably smart but sadly suppressed heroine, and a hero trying to right many ancient wrongs. Milan writes the most compelling characters I've seen recently, and the plot almost doesn't matter because it's so interesting to just watch these people be. The plot, however, is engaging by itself. All around, the complete package. Go read this book. Go read it now.

It's surprising to tell that I had somewhat mixed feelings toward Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and yet Days of Blood and Starlight ranks at number 2 on my list of favorite books for the year. I felt deeply invested in the world while I read this book. The stakes seemed so high, and so was my level of sympathy for Karou. The world building is just so strange and unique and fantastic. The love story is compelling--you want everything to end up happy. But above all, it's a story of war at it's worst, and trying to overcome it's effects with acts of mercy and love.

And the #1 book of 2012 is...

Yes, it's Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. It's a science fiction fairy tale retelling, and it is even more awesome than it sounds. It's the best possible version of Cinderella, with a charming and quirky heroine who at least gets to know her prince charming a bit. The world building knocked me on my ass, it was so interesting and so bizarre. If you haven't read this book yet, you need to read it in 2013. It's absolutely essential.

On Handbills: A Review of The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Courtney Milan surprised me with this one. I've had several experiences with her work now, and I've always liked it. This book, though, was just a little more special.

Minnie Pursling has worked hard to establish herself as an anonymous wallflower, beneath the notice of most people. No one would guess that she possesses a uniquely organized mind, capable of the most precise of tactical thinking. Minni's hopes to marry before her scandalous past comes to light and forever ends her future prospects. When she accuses Robert, the Duke of Clermont, of writing radical handbills stirring workers to strike, she is only trying to keep suspicion from falling on herself. Instead, she captures Roberts attention, and he is all to quick to conclude that he must have her.

I liked Minnie. I was surprised to like Minnie, because she is so mousey and seems dry at first. As the story went on, though, I really enjoyed being inside such a clever mind. I enjoyed the path that her character development took. I related to her discomfort when it comes to large crowds and the comfort that she takes in being anonymous. Yet, I felt proud of her when she faced and overcame some of her fears, or found ways to cope with them. She's a layered, well written character, and even if you don't like her you have to respect her.

Robert is, again, so much more complex than he initially seems. He's presented as having a major case of rich person guilt, where we see him trying to make up for his father's actions by seeking political and legal justice for the working man. It seems self righteous first, but he goes about it intelligently and with an honest sense of idealism. More importantly, in a story such as this, is the emotional journey he goes on in order to find, feel, and accept love. He's all too used to feeling love for others, but less used to people loving him back, and so he suppresses any hopes he might have for a real connection with Minnie.  As an idealistic person, he also struggles with the difference between his fantasies and reality, which is at first disappointing but later proves to outdo his imaginings. Again, I found him very easy to relate to in this respect.

The chemistry is between our characters is warm and sweet. I also noticed that this was a very sexually intelligent book. Instead of romanticizing the love scenes, the author allows for awkwardness and mild disappointment.  And then, she has Minnie explain to  Robert what she needs, matter-of-factly and without sugar coating. How novel.  Seriously.

If I had to name a flaw...Well, I guess the degree to which I felt informed or invested in the workers strike/handbills subplot was pretty weak. That's not saying that I didn't care a little bit, but the conflict could have been something different or not present at all and I wouldn't have noticed.

Overall... God, this was such a good book. Smart, easy to read, and romantic. I could not ask for more from a historical romance. 4.5 stars.

Happy December! (Better Late Than Never)

"Were you drinking coffee in the shower?" Husband asks as I emerge, towel swaddled and hair dripping, steamy mug in hand.

"Why yes, yes I was. I'm not even slightly ashamed of it."

"You have a problem."

I guess it's apparent that I am indeed suffering from a bit of end of year exhaustion, helped along by my decision to work a bazillion hours at my job(s) as a toy elf/picture lass. I think I'm also encountering a bit of ennui when it comes to my reviews and this blog in general. Again, this is partly based in physical exhaustion, but it also has to do with a need for changes that I know I need to make. So we're in the middle of a road block of sorts where I know I need to redesign, redefine, change what isn't working, and get back to what has worked in the past--and that is what December and January are going to be all about. Just as soon as I finish my goddamned coffee.

But you aren't here for all of that! Your here to find out which book from the November line up rocked my tiny little socks. And here it is:

On Justice: A Review of Unraveled by Courtney Milan

With Unraveled, we come to the end of Courtney Milan's very enjoyable Turner trilogy. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If your a historical romance fan, you need to try these books.

The hero of Unraveled is Smite, the middle Turner brother. Smite is a magistrate (more or less a judge) who believes in justice above all things. When Miranda walks into his courtroom with the obvious intention of lying to him, Smite is naturally infuriated. Then, as circumstances force him to get to know her better, Smite realizes that he desires Miranda--both her body and her companionship--as he has never experienced before. Since Miranda is in dire financial straights and some trouble besides, Smite proposes an efficient solution--that she serve as his mistress for one month.

Positive Comments:

Milan has a talent for writing characters that are brilliantly unique, but still feel like real people. Everything about Smite, from his rough childhood to his self-isolating existence, became real to me as I read this book. I liked Miranda as well. While not quite as vivid a character, she still seemed like a person that I would want to be friends with. All of the Turners give that impression--they're just a little odd, they barely fit into society, but they're basically decent people. In fact, they're probably better people than most of the "regular" people around them.

The relationship between Miranda and Smite is very romantic, while still being grounded in grim reality. Their love doesn't fix everything. It doesn't, for example, heal Smite of all the darkness in his soul left over from living with an insane mother and then being homeless. He still has nightmares and things that trigger bad memories and panic attacks. Miranda accepts all of this and just goes with the flow. To me, that's beautiful.

I liked the way this book presented and explored the concepts of crime and justice. Those aren't themes that I'm used to seeing in an historical romance, so it was nice to visit some new ideas. You get the intellectual side of things--where Smite argues with himself about his duty and what it means to serve justice. You also get the practical, action driven side, which is the source of the book's climax. It's a good balance, and it definitely kept my brain engaged in the story.

Critical Comments

Anything negative that I can come up with about this book is going to sound like nitpicking, so forgive me. I'll keep it brief.

I was just a touch taken aback by how readily Miranda agreed to the mistress deal. But, to be fair, she had plenty of motivation to agree. Not only did she need Smite's money and assistance, she was also attracted to him in any case, and she admitted that she likes living on the edge. So it's not out of character. I just didn't expect it.

With Mark's book, I complained that Mark was almost too understanding of Jessica's flaws and mistakes. Same goes here, with Smite. Given his values, he was almost too ready to shrug off the many things Miranda had done to get by throughout her life.

Finally, the justice/vigilante portion of the plot is, perhaps, a little distracting. Again, I liked it. But, if you like your romance novels to be all about the romance, you might find this boring or annoying.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Read it by itself, read it as part of the trilogy, it really doesn't matter. This is top quality historical romance. 4.5 stars.

Best Book of December/January Preview

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews was easily the best book I read in December--with a score of 4.5 stars. I'm a little bummed to be caught up on this series and have to wait so long for the next book!

I'm setting a goal for myself to read 112 books in 2012--wish me luck! Here are the books I plan to read in January.


Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick


Unraveled by Courtney Milan

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

Prey by Rachel Vincent

The Daughter of Smoke by Laini Taylor

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

On Male Virgins: A Review of Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan is the second book in the Turner trilogy. Let me say right up front that I highly recommend both books to anyone who likes historical romance, or even someone who thinks they might be curious enough to try one. You can find my review of book 1, Unveiled, HERE.

Mark is a highly intellectual man who has written a book on the importance of male chastity. To his great surprise, the book has risen to astonishing popularity, garnering him a knighthood and a swarm of fans. Unfortunately it has also attracted some enemies. One such enemy puts out a reward to any woman who can seduce the virtuous knight and ruin his reputation. Jessica has spent seven years as a courtesan and is determined to get out of the life. Knowing that the reward money would set her free, Jessica sets out to seduce Mark.

Positive Comments:

This is a highly character driven story, and fortunately the characters are quite likeable. Mark is genuinely noble and ethical, but desperately wants someone to see beyond all of that. Jessica is a strong, somewhat hardened character who's sole focus has been survival for a very long time. Yet Jessica does have a sense of morality, and right from the beginning she didn't really want to hurt Mark.

I guess have to take a moment to mention the virginity thing. Male virgin heroes are quite rare in romance novels, where as female virgins are a dime a dozen. I'm not sure whether this is supposed to reflect real life, or if it's because male virgins are thought to be unappealing. Personally, if it's the latter reason, I think that's codswallop.There is something oddly appealing about male virgins in a romantic book. I can remember two off-hand: Jamie from Outlander (a 5+ star book IMO) and Conrad from Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark books. In both cases the virgin factor was a huge positive for me. Anyway, in Unclaimed Mark is a virgin, and it does make for interesting plot and character developments. Not to mention the tension it creates.

The plot is mostly driven forward through internal conflict. Both Mark and Jessica have some scars from their past to be dealt with. The nature of these past hurts are revealed at a pace that built anticipation but did not, for the most part, feel drawn out. Between the well crafted plot and the Victorian country setting, I found it easy to immerse myself in the story.

Critical Comments:

Two very minor things. First, Mark was almost too perfect. Usually, even a brilliant and loveable hero will, being a man, screw up at some point in the story and make the reader just a little peeved at him. To me that moment is kind of crucial, because it puts the reader on the heroine's side and makes you root for her. It also helps the hero to seem more real. Without it, Mark comes across rather like a Prince Charming figure. But hey, who wouldn't marry Prince Charming, right? Second, Jessica's ongoing worry that she will hurt Mark or ruin him just by being with him wore a bit thin for me after awhile. Her worries were understandable, but somewhere around the second time she thought she might leave him for his own good I lost some patience. Thankfully the problem is resolved in a satisfactory manner, but it still bugged me just a bit.

Overall, it took me a total of a couple of hours over a two day span to read this book--very fast for me. That's a testament to how well written and enjoyable this novel is. Historical romance fans won't want to miss it! 4 stars.

*Speaking of Prince Charming, don't forget to vote for you favorite fairy tale. Poll ends Sunday! Happy Reading!*

On Love and Social Awkwardness

Courtney Milan's Unlocked is a novella length story set in the same universe as the Turner books. Having read it though, I can safely say that now knowledge of Unveiled is required, though I certainly recommend it.

In sum this is a story of a young man (Evan) who teases a young lady (Elaine) because he secretly likes her. He makes jokes about the way that she laughs. The jokes catch on, and soon everyone in London society is laughing at Elaine, thus humiliating her, chipping away at her self esteem, and ruining her prospects of finding a husband. Ten years later, Evan has long since come to feel great remorse for the way he treated Elaine and hopes to make amends, as well as to win her heart.

I think the pain of being teased and ostracized is something many people can relate to. I certainly can. An equal number of people can recall becoming (unintentionally) the instigator of such pain, and the need to atone for it. So this is a touching story from all angles. I liked and connected with Elaine and Evan. This is a wonderful and sweet little love story.

Now, as to the reason I am giving this story 4 stars instead of 5. It is a detail that is a spoiler of sorts and is more specific than I would normally mention in a review. I found it pretty glaring, though, so I have included it bellow. Highlight to read:

Elaine's distress at being teased about her laugh ran so deep that she became determined to change it. This process involved having a maid tell her jokes and hold her head under water every time she laughed her laugh. This obviously unwise course of action ultimately leads to her inhaling a ton of water and becoming ill for days. This is the sort of dramatic and dangerous behavior one might expect from a bullied teenager, not a grown woman of at least 20. Age distinctions aside, this made me very seriously doubt the judgement and stability of our heroine. It tainted for me what was otherwise an uplifting story of overcoming social isolation.

So, aside from it's one flaw, I was very touched by this little story and would highly recommend it. 4 stars.

On Dukes (And Non-Dukes)

I'm still in a historical romance frame of mind, so I thought I'd review another recent favorite--Unveiled by Courtney Milan. One of my frustrations with historical romance is that all of the heroes tend to blend together in my mind, rarely standing out as unique. They fall into two types--the stuffy, overly serious noble who rules his estates (and his woman) with an iron fist. And the young, rake of a noble who's spent years breaking hearts and is now at last ripe for reform. In Unveiled you get something entirely different in Ash Turner and his brothers. Here is my review:

 To me this book was exactly what I want in historical romance. Intelligent, sedate, but without being boring. Passionate, tender,and very emotional. In short, I'm hard pressed to come up with any negatives.

Ash is from an impoverished family, and he's worked his from the ground up in terms of wealth and society. This culminates in his revenge plot against the Duke of Parford, who once failed to help Ash and his family when they were in dire need. In short, he exposes the duke as a bigamist and thus has the duke's children by his second wife declared illegitimate and unable to inherit title or property. By distant relation, the dukedom would then pass to Ash. Margaret is posing as her father's nurse in order the spy on Ash. When he meets her, he has no idea that she is the dukes daughter and therefor one of the people his suit has hurt most. He pursues her romantically and she finds herself falling for him despite herself, and unwilling to betray him.

I really loved both Margaret and Ash. Ash is determined in everything he does. His initial motivation isn't based on greed, and not even entirely on revenge, but rather in giving his two younger brothers the best future possible. He's overcome all manner of adversity in order to take care of his family. He applies the same ruthless persistence to his relationship with Margaret. But rather then acting the caveman and forcibly seducing her, he brings her around by helping her to see herself in the best possible light. Since she was declared a bastard, Margaret has thought herself worthless. When Ash tells her that her birth does not matter, that she is important and wonderful, she can't help but begin to believe him. They both do a lot of emotional growing in this book.

Now, I know nothing about law or inheritance in England in the 1800s, so I am unable to intelligently debate possible historical inaccuracies. I didn't notice them. A more knowledgeable person might be bothered.

I'm giving this book 5 stars, because as I said I just don't have any complaints. It's well paced, evocative, and deeply romantic.