Reading Fanatic Reviews
Regency RomanceHaunting Miss Fenwick by Alina K. Field
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Haunting Miss Fenwick*
Strong, Smart, Capable Heroine… Loved It!
This book takes place on the Yorkshire coast during that small amount of time between the Regency and Victorian eras. I found it to be a delightful read. The hero thinks himself a bit crafty in the beginning, but he finds himself pitted against a very smart heroine. I loved that Tilly was so strong, capable, and intelligent. She’s a far cry from many historical romance heroines—and in a good way. Although the hero was trying to make her new home appear haunted, Tilly isn’t buying it. When she finds him out and discovers why, her personal sense of justice makes her want to help him despite the way he has been such a pest. (And he helps her out, too, so the relationship isn’t one-sided.) I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between these two characters. The way the author depicted it, especially in the beginning, made me smile more than once. I loved the dog, Wulver, too! There is a little suspense here, and a few surprising twists and turns despite some obvious factors. The characters are so well drawn, and the story is so well written. If you enjoy historical romantic intrigue, consider giving this book a try.
Whispers of Light by Jennifer Monroe
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Whispers of Light*
Interesting Premise that Falls Apart
This book had an interesting premise, but I do not think that it was fully realized. Marriages of convenience that turn into more are common in Regency romance novels. I liked both the hero and the heroine; I wasn’t as wild about the heroine’s family. I felt like there needs to be more development in all parts of the story, both before the marriage and definitely after. I think the author waited too long for the big reveals about the two main characters. They acted and reacted to situations based on their history, but we as the readers did not know this history until almost the very end of the book. I think the author should have given this information slowly over the course of the novel, as it would have helped make the characters’ actions make more sense.
The crux of the matter for the hero is that he sees himself as less of a man because he has a limp. This concept is beaten like a dead horse throughout the book, but it doesn’t seem like enough to hang all the duke’s foibles on. What man would really be like that? It just didn’t seem believable. While I didn’t think enough was shown before the marriage, I thought the book went off the rails after they married. All of a sudden, the book wasn’t about the hero and heroine anymore (and their mysterious backstories) but how the heroine interacted with the hero’s sister—who actually showed up kind of late. The last part of the book wasn’t all about that, of course, but a surprising amount of time just after marriage was just about this relationship. The couple had enough issues between themselves because of their histories that those would have been enough for them to work on, especially with the interference from the heroine’s family and her problems with her sisters. After such a promising concept in the beginning, I was disappointed that the book just completely fell apart for me.
Haunting Miss Fenwick by Alina K. Field
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Haunting Miss Fenwick*
Strong, Smart, Capable Heroine… Loved It!
This book takes place on the Yorkshire coast during that small amount of time between the Regency and Victorian eras. I found it to be a delightful read. The hero thinks himself a bit crafty in the beginning, but he finds himself pitted against a very smart heroine. I loved that Tilly was so strong, capable, and intelligent. She’s a far cry from many historical romance heroines—and in a good way. Although the hero was trying to make her new home appear haunted, Tilly isn’t buying it. When she finds him out and discovers why, her personal sense of justice makes her want to help him despite the way he has been such a pest. (And he helps her out, too, so the relationship is not one-sided.) I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between these two characters. The way the author depicted it, especially in the beginning, made me smile more than once. I loved the dog, Wulver, too! There is a little suspense here, and a few surprising twists and turns despite some obvious factors. The characters are so well drawn, and the story is so well written. If you enjoy historical romantic intrigue, consider giving this book a try.
I Dream of Darcy Book 2 by Andrea David
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
I Dream of Darcy Book 2*
Didn’t Like As Much as First
I read and enjoyed book one of this serialized Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen fanfiction. I was eagerly anticipating book 2. Unfortunately, I find myself a little disappointed in the book. There are times when Elizabeth just doesn’t seem like the one we know from canon. She seems to notice the way men look in a way that is not typical in a Regency. She decides to put herself firmly on the marriage mart while in London. She seems way too caught up the notion of rank as well as country vs. city people. Of course, under those comparisons, she finds herself wanting. Darcy, too, seems overly preoccupied with rank. I just found that off-putting for both of their characters. I like the addition of more Fitzwilliam cousins in this book. They each seem to have their own personality, which was fun. Even though I was disappointed by this installment, I am curious to see how the complete story wraps up in book three.
Third Husband’s the Charm by Nancy Yeager
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Third Husband's the Charm*
Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave
What a very different historical romance! It’s quite a complicated tale, so I can’t really do it justice in the short space of a review. Suffice to say that the heroine is very strong-willed and has devised a rather creative plan to help get her due in a system that is definitely set up against women. She needs a man to make it work, and the man she chooses, poor Percy, believes that he is losing his mind like his father before him. In fact, he believes her when she tells him that they married, even though he has no memory of it. These are both fascinating and complex characters, and what begins as a sham marriage instigated by the heroine to help her dire circumstances becomes a true one of good-hearted, deserving people. I quite enjoyed the interactions between the family members and the couple as well. The heroine didn’t know what she was getting involved in when she set up her plan! A very good historical romance read.
Bellevere House by Sarah Scheele
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters) and Bol.de
Bellevere House*
Jane Austen Recasting Just a Little Off
I am a massive Jane Austen fan, and I appreciate a good retelling or recasting of one of her classic stories. However, this one felt just off to me. I had a hard time following it. There are a lot of moving parts to the story, both in terms of character and plot. With so many people, it was hard to follow threads and arcs, and it didn’t feel like there was time enough for proper development of each character and each subplot. I thought the language used was a bit odd and stilted, and there seems to be an overdependence on italics. I thought that there was too much exposition compared to dialogue. So, unfortunately, this book just didn’t quite do it for me.
A Perfect Deception by Alyssa Drake
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Perfect Deception*
Darker than Your Typical Historical Romantic Mystery
I read a fair amount of historical romantic suspense and mystery, but this story is definitely a cut different from most. Most of the romantic historical mysteries I have read have been ones in which the suspense or mystery is rather light. Yes, it adds interest to the story and keeps the pages turning, but the main thrust is the romance and how the suspense affects that. This book is completely different, as the evil in this book is overarching in nature, not just a side interest. I could tell this right off the bat with the way the prologue started with such a graphic, violent scene. I’ll admit that I had a hard time following parts of this book, but that is probably because I haven’t read either of the previous books in the series. I didn’t realize when I signed up for this book at my favorite book review site that it was an installment of an episodic series. I still was able to figure things out, but it would have been easier if I had read the other books. The author is able to keep the tension and conflict ramped up through the entire book. There are some surprisingly graphically violent scenes in this book; I wasn’t expecting that, and so I am saying so in this review so others may see it and steer clear if they don’t like to read that. The book is well written, both the violence/mystery aspect and the romance. I found the heroine, Daphne, a particular delight as she provided a spot of levity in what can sometimes be a pretty dark book.
BTW, I am not a fan of the covers in this series. Too reminiscent of the old “bodice-ripper” style romance covers. And they don’t really give an idea of the suspense, which is so crucial.
A Duke in Autumn by Arietta Richmond
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
A Duke in Autumn*
Chemistry When Opposites Attract
I found this book to be a surprising delight. I have read some Regencies lately that just didn’t do it for me. What I particularly enjoyed was the well-crafted dialogue. I believe that language in historical fiction should be slightly elevated but still accessible; compared to us, they were much more formal back then, and it is nice to see that expressed in written dialogue. As I read, I hear the story in my head, and this felt authentic to me. The characters themselves were also fun as well. The hero has a roguish charm, taking delight in vexing the much more straitlaced heroin. They truly are opposites. She is all about propriety and being a good girl. I liked, too, that this book took place in Bath. In quite a few Regencies, we hear a peripheral reference to Bath being a place where characters have been, are going to, or are at, but we never really see the location in action as an actual setting. The hero and heroine are next-door neighbors. By chance, one of the heroine’s new friends is trying to encourage her to loosen up a little bit, while she promises to help on the other young lady understand what the proper behavior and actions should be. This character change sets up an interesting arc both for the heroine as well as for the hero. If you enjoy well-written Regency, you will most likely enjoy this book.
The Autumn Duke by Jillian Eaton
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, and Bol.de
The Autumn Duke*
Deficiencies Make Book Not Wholly Enjoyable
I think I have read most of the A Duke for All Seasons series. Unfortunately, I have found them to be of variable quality. I know that I enjoyed at least one of them, but some of these others have been a surprise with the number of deficiencies. I’ll mention these in no particular order. There are definitely some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Commas are more problematic than usual. There was also a strange misuse of “whom” that caught my eye. Some word choices also didn’t seem quite right. Beyond language, I also had issues with the level of sensuality expressed by the duke so early in his acquaintance with the heroine. There was actually a level of what I would call the “ick factor” regarding his wayward thoughts. There seemed to be inconsistencies with the Duke’s age. At one point, the Duke said he was nearly 20 years past his father’s death. His father died when he was 14. Then later on in the story, it is mentioned that the Duke is 28. So those numbers don’t quite add up. I also thought that the characters themselves were very ill suited. They were too different in ways that matter to make a love story between them seem plausible. The duke has a rather wretched past with his father, who was physically and mentally abusive towards him. This has made the Duke a somewhat a solitary man who does not wish to wed because he fears he might harbor some of his father’s treachery within him. So he’s got a bit of a dark story. In contrast, the heroine seemed to be a bit of a bubblehead. She is at least definitely silly and shallow. To me, silly/shallow and deeply wounded don’t quite go together, or at least this author did not pull it off.
Restoring Lady Alice by Lydia Pembroke
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Restoring Lady Alice*
Another Very Dark Regency
Like the other book about Lady Jane in this series, I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. At times, it seems more like melodrama, or at least Regency with a heavy dose of Gothic. I wish the darkness in the series have been more obvious from the book blurbs. The covers make them seem like they’re just regular Regency or historical romance, but both of these stories are very dark. The villain doesn’t have a bit of light to him, at least not shown in either of these two books. Compared to the Lady Jane book, for some reason, I thought that the language in this one felt stilted. There were definitely some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. This kind of book, where so much seems to be focused on as such a vile person, is just not my cup of tea.
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