Reading Fanatic Reviews
Historical RomanceHighland Honor by Madelyn Hill
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Highland Honor*
Hero Hard to Like, More Violence Than I Thought
This is the third book in the series about the now-orphaned, but adult, MacAlister sisters. Their deceased father was the laird of their clan while they were children, but he died when the young girls were 5, 8, and 12. The heroine of this particular book is the girl who was five years old. Compared to the other two sisters, this one is decidedly feminine, compassionate, and kind-hearted, the type that wouldn’t kill a midge. Her older sisters, especially the oldest, believe this to be a weakness in her that she’s not quite so tough as the rest of them. But Honor is a Healer, so she has a much gentler spirit. She couldn’t imagine killing, hunting, or attacking as her sisters do. The book opens—after the same prologue about the death of father that was in the other stories—with a rather violent scene where she is assaulted and very nearly raped, but she is able to get out of the circumstance before it goes that far. But she used all of her strength to fight off the attacker, and she did receive a rather extensive wound on her back as she was pressed up against sharp rocks during the assault.
This is a long and complicated story, which they all seem to be in this series, so I’ll stop there in talking about plot point by point. Okay, maybe just a little more. Honor struggled and went back and forth, trying to decide if she should tell anyone what happened. But she didn’t want anyone to be harmed or murdered because of the assault. She still deals with immense psychological trauma because of what happened to her (although they wouldn’t call it that in those days). She doubts herself constantly; she doesn’t know what to do quite often (which is unlike her), and she struggles with her new reality of fear. Where she was attacked is a place that she often goes to gather herbs and other medicinal plants in the forest. As with book one, I had a hard time with this particular hero. Apparently, the heroine hasn’t treated him well in the past because they are at odds (he leading the brutal sparring practice and she stitching them up; so, he doesn’t treat her terribly well. Knowing what she had just been through, as a reader, I had a hard time seeing him treat her so poorly. Seriously, couldn’t he tell that something was amiss and be a little nicer? This made me have a hard time believing the romantic aspect of the plot.
Like the first book, this novel had some severe issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. The book clearly was not professionally copyedited, as the same errors occurred over and over again—obvious ones that a good copyeditor would have caught if one had been used, like the missing comma that is required between independent clauses in a compound sentence joined by a coordinating conjunction. There are other issues as well, like some wrong words or misspellings. I believe this book has been out for some time, so it isn’t just that I received this book as a true ARC (which I think should be in the best shape that the author can provide anyway). Certainly if you have any issues around assault, near rape, or any sort of violence against a female, you will want to steer clear of this book. If you don’t mind Highland romance stories with more violence than usual and a hero that is hard to like—and grammar problems don’t bother you—you might enjoy this book.
Highland Hope by Madelyn Hill
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Highland Hope*
Punctuation and Spelling Error Hamper Enjoyment
I love a good Highland romance and especially enjoy a series set around sisters (being one of five myself). This is the first book of this series about the MacAlister sisters. The book opens with a prologue of the traumatic and dramatic scene that happened in the girls’ childhoods, the death of their father. His parting words to them set them each on a personal journey to fulfill his dream for the clan and them. The two younger girls are encouraged to explore their individual talents for the benefit of their clan, but the older sister—whom this book is about—has a much more cut-and-dried path. She is meant to become the laird of their clan. Before his passing, her father taught her about the business and managing aspects of leadership (which her mother carried on), and she also learned how to fight by joining in the sparring between the men and boys. After the prologue, this book starts with the girls’ mother’s funeral. Hope, the oldest, is still young, and she knows she’s going to have a fight with the clan council to retain her lairdship. Her father also had a requirement that she had to be wed before she could lead.
This is quite a complicated story, but I’ll stop here in describing it in detail. Suffice to say, a young man enters the story who bears a strong grudge toward the clan, though some of the council very much desire that he takes over (undermining the lady laird). I found the character of Hope to be a fasting one. It made me question whether or not women were actually called “lairds” if they held a position of leadership in their clan. I know that women sometimes did act as leaders when there was no male heir or the male heir was too young to take over. But would a woman actually be called a laird? It just seemed odd to me. But that’s not really super important. She is a super strong and tough female, both mentally and physically, a match for any man on just about any level. I liked her strength. I honestly didn’t understand why she made the initial decision that she did about the man in question. I don’t feel like there was enough reason or discussion/thought of the reason for it to truly make sense. It felt like it was just needed for the plot, and I don’t like it when plot points feel like that. I had a tough time liking the hero. He just had such a chip on his shoulder about what happened in the past and the way he kept negatively thinking about the heroine, well, it just all rubbed me wrong.
There are also some substantial issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage in this book. It doesn’t seem like the novel was professionally edited, and this book has been out for some time. Commas were used willy-nilly, sometimes added where they should not have been—causing problems with meaning, requiring a second look to figure out—at other times being completely omitted, like the required comma between independent clauses in a compound sentence joined by a coordinating conjunction. There are even some wrong words—sometimes just a typo but other times just flat out incorrect meaning as well. For instance, exulted and exalted were mixed up twice, so I’m thinking that was an error of understanding by the author. A spelling one was cursed versus coursed. For all these reasons, I do not feel like I can wholly recommend this book. If you don’t mind a hero who takes a while to warm up to or egregious errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage, you might enjoy this Highland tale.
Mission of Mercy by Amber Seraph
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Mission of Mercy*
Short Western Romance Read
This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is very short, probably about half of the length of an average novella. But the author is able to pack a lot into it. In the beginning, I thought she described the setting in the circumstances very well so that they could be easily visualized; however, towards the end, I felt like things were more told than shown, especially about the development of the romantic aspect. I would have loved to have seen more of that. I do so enjoy watching characters fall for each other; that’s part of the fun of reading a romance. I also thought that perhaps the author was slightly preachy in how the heroine had beliefs about Native Americans that would have been rare in those times. It is so tempting to rewrite history to make it more aligned with our modern sensibilities, and I think that is what happened here. Still, all in all, I enjoyed this short, romantic read.
Not Another Nob by Anabelle Anders
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Not Another Nob*
Fast, Funny Regency
This is a fun, super short read. It probably is the length of many romantic novellas out there, but it was just so pleasant and involving that it felt like it was over very quickly. What I enjoyed was the very humorous aspect of the story. It started on page 1 and continued throughout. I did think it was odd that the story is written in almost what I would call more of a contemporary style, with sometimes very short paragraphs of only maybe a word, a phrase, or a sentence. In general, I do not like that in historical romances. I like my paragraphs to be a bit more long and formal. But this author was able to make it work. Parts of it were very amusing. There is definitely a Romeo-and-Juliet vibe, as the families of the hero and heroine are sworn enemies. The heroine has a bit of an added difficulty in that her brother wants her to marry post haste; in fact, that is what the opening scene of the book is about. This novella is a delight if you enjoy humorous Regency romance.
Goodwill for the Gentleman by Martha Keyes
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Goodwill for the Gentleman*
Will Christmas… and Forgiveness Work Magic?
I have read a couple of other Regency romances by this author, and I have enjoyed them thoroughly. I’m happy to say that this one is no exception. She knows how to write complex characters with deep backstories who feel real and relatable. In this particular story, the hero and heroine have had a complicated relationship over time. They were friends when younger; he, in fact, was expected to marry her sister. But he just couldn’t because he actually was in love with the heroine. Rather than face these difficulties, he chose to break off the informal understanding with her sister and join the army. The heroine, even before he left, give him the cut direct, and when he returns, she can still recall the pain that her sister felt and cannot forgive him, even though her sister has moved on. What essentially happens in this story is that they are forced to be together at his parents’ house near Christmas during a snowstorm. Will calling a short-term truce while they are snowbound leave room for understanding, forgiveness, and perhaps more? if you like clean Regency stories that have a lot of heart and deep characterization, you will most likely enjoy this book.
I Dream of Darcy Book 3 by Andrea David
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
I Dream of Darcy Book 3*
Plagued by Problems Like Second Book
I have read all parts of this serialized novel. I was quite enamored of the first book but became disenchanted by the second. Some of the things I disliked in the second installment were present in the final one as well. To me, Elizabeth Bennet in this variation was not the Elizabeth Bennet we all know and love from the original. In this particular book, she seemed to have a true lack of self-esteem throughout much of it, and her thoughts on her and Mr. Darcy’s chances could turn on the merest glance or phrase from him or others in the book. It bordered on ridiculous how she read so much into every little thing—and always in the worst possible way. Despite having three books to build it all up, Darcy’s shifts in regard didn’t seem wholly believable, even though it was lovely to watch at times. I always enjoy an in-love Mr. Darcy. I never did get used to the author calling Georgiana Giana as Mr. Darcy’s nickname for her; nor did I get used to everybody referring to Mr. Darcy as just Darcy, even Georgiana and the countess of Matlock. For a serialized book that started off with such promise, I ultimately find myself disappointed in this particular variation.
Pheme’s Regret by Sue London
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Pheme's Regret*
An Unusual Regency with Lots More Going on Than Romance
This is a very complex story for a Regency. It is not merely a Regency romance. Several plot lines run through this novel. In general, I thought it was well written. The characters were complex, although I thought the daughter was a little over the top, especially at the beginning. There was a villain plot, a mother reuniting with her daughter plot (she had to give her up as a baby), an expat living abroad because of a ruined reputation plot, the life of the haberdasher’s subplot, along with the romance plot. That romance was complicated because it was the hero’s reputation that was ruined, and the heroine caused it in the distant past. A significant part of this took place in France, which is unusual for a Regency, but I certainly enjoyed the French part of the story, which actually was the bulk of the book. I quite enjoyed following the convoluted twists and turns of this plot until it got to the very end, where the author disappointed me by pulling out a hackneyed Regency trick at a pivotal moment. Sigh. But all in all, I did enjoy this complicated, character-driven Regency romance.
Tempting Danger by Wendy Vella
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Tempting Danger*
Interesting Story and Characters, But…
Even though this is the sixth book of the series, I hadn’t read any of the previous Raven and Sinclair novels or any book by Wendy Vella. One thing in this book’s favor is that I did not feel lost not having read the other books; I was able to understand it and the characters completely without reference to any of the other books. I found the complex story and the couple at the heart of it to be fascinating to follow. The hero and the heroine are quite opposite, she a somewhat strident and sassy innocent and he a reforming rogue. Some dialogue and inner monologue were humorous at times.
But I definitely had some issues with this book. First of all, I absolutely hate it when I see an egregious grammar error in the first paragraph of the book. Since I had received an ARC copy, I looked at the first 10% on Amazon to make sure that this and other errors I was seeing in that section were in the published novel, and unfortunately, they were. This author ranks highly in historical romance and has so many published books, so I find myself disappointed that she either doesn’t get professional editing or has chosen a team that is not as well versed in proper English grammar, punctuation, and usage. Comma splices were all over the novel. The comma often required before a coordinating conjunction was either not used when it should have been or was used when it should NOT have been. Later in the book, even some spacing was wrong, as I found a contraction with a space after the apostrophe, which is just never done. I found these errors to be enough in number to be distracting. At times, I felt like I was just watching for the next mistake instead of enjoying the story. I am a copy editor, so this may be a hazard of the trade. I also thought that the dialogue was an odd combination of a somewhat stilted mimicking of Regency mixed with occasionally too modern phrases. So the dialogue quite often read awkwardly in my inner ear.
All in all, I liked the story and characters, but the other problems with the book detracted too much from my enjoyment of it.
Gilded Dreams by Megan Steer
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Thalia, and Bol.de
Gilded Dreams*
Odd, Unsatisfying Book
This is an odd book that I’m not quite sure what to make of. I don’t read many historical romance novels set in the United States or during the Gilded Age, so this book intrigued me. Now having finished it, I can say I just found it odd. I didn’t quite buy the setup, that this relatively inexperienced young woman would seek out her friend for training on how to become a courtesan because she no longer wanted to be dependent on the largesse of her brother (who had attempted to sell her off in marriage to a despicable man). Why would such a young woman want to go from depending on one man to depending on several? She is definitely naive to many of the ways of the word, though not innocent. Her friend, Gabrielle, nearly turns the request down but agrees to educate her on the ways of becoming a high-class call girl. After this decision, the book just seems to wander somewhat aimlessly for the bulk of it, without much point. Yes, the young woman meets a friend of Gabrielle’s, Declan, and they hit it off, enjoying each other’s company even though he has somewhat of a reputation himself. That relationship between the heroine and Declan had strange fits and starts, and I never quite bought that they developed an affection for each other. Just a strange book that in the end was quite unsatisfying.
Black Widow by Lucy Leroux
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Black Widow*
Good at First, Then Goes Off the Rails
I am not quite sure what to write for this review. I was surprised by this book, but not in a good way. When I read the book description, I just read the summary, not the quotes from other reviewers within the blurb; I never read those or other reviews before I read a book. From the couple paragraph description, I was expecting a somewhat standard historical romance. And the first part of the book and delivered on that, along with a little romantic suspense—which I also enjoy. The heroine has a variety of secrets that neither we nor the hero is privy to for a while. We learn from the first chapter that the heroine is not a murderer, as first suspected by the hero. I actually enjoyed watching their initial dance, shall we say, as they became reacquainted with each other and he tried to figure out if she had anything to do with her husband’s death.
But then it got weird. And, frankly, I didn’t see it coming. I read a variety of books, so I don’t have anything necessarily against weird so long as I am prepared for it. I certainly did not expect the book to go the way it did in the last roughly 40%. Actually, I kept thinking it would straighten back out into a standard story instead of going into a paranormal aspect that wasn’t appropriately foreshadowed and therefore felt entirely out of place. It almost felt like a deus ex machina move, which I never like in a story as it feels like a cop-out. I did enjoy watching the push-me, pull-you relationship of the hero and heroine at first, and the heroine’s naivete was surprising (in an intriguing way) in a story about a widow (and I liked watching the hero’s education of her). I do feel that there were too many intimate scenes after a certain point in the story; they did detract from the rest of the plot because, at times, it felt like the plot existed as something to happen between the intimate moments so it wouldn’t be just all that. So, I actually enjoyed the first part of the book, but the second half fell apart for me once it appeared as though the paranormal aspect was meant to be real.
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