Glomming on Contemporaries

Yesterday I mentioned that I’m a bit burned out on historical romances, which is a bummer, since historical romances were my first "wuv, twue wuv." So to break the slump, I’ve been reading lots of contemporaries, which is a bit unusual. In fact, for me contemporaries usually rank right above Romantic Suspense. In other words, they fit in the take-em-or-leave-em category. But a few have really drawn me in lately, so here are some mini-reviews of ones I’ve enjoyed lately. I have to warn you, though - these may lead to your stocking up on the authors’ backlists!

Rachel Gibson Not Another Bad Date (Writers #4) I’m a sucker for reunited lovers, and this book is a charmer! Fantasy Author Adele Harris jumps to her sister’s rescue when her seemingly perfect marriage falls apart and her sister finds herself hospitalized. Adele steps in to look after her tween niece, little realizing that her niece’s new friend is the daughter of the guy who got away in college, former pro football player Zach Zemaitis. He’s a single parent, since his snooty Junior League wife was t-boned by a garbage truck, and trust me, her accident is definitely an example of karma at work. He broke Adele’s heart in college when his former girlfriend (aforementioned Junior League member) announced she was pregnant. He’s not interested in forever, especially since he’s got a 13 year old daughter, but true love manages to save the day, despite the former wife’s intervention from beyond the grave. Really cute novel that has me catching up on Ms. Gibson’s backlist.

Susan Mallery Only His (Fool’s Gold #6) You really can’t go wrong with Ms. Mallery’s heartwarming contemporaries. This is the last installment in her latest Fool’s Gold trilogy (more to be released next year, yay!). Like Not Another Bad Date, this book features reunited lovers, in this case triplet Nevada Hendrix and Tucker Janack. Nevada wants to spread her wings and work for someone other than her brother, and when Janack Construction announces they’re building a casino, she decides to apply for an engineering job, believing that she’ll be interviewed by the senior Janack. She’s shocked to discover that Tucker Janack is running the show. They had a one night stand that resulted in his calling her his ex-girlfriend’s name, and Nevada was crushed. They manage to work everything out in the end, despite the former nutcase girlfriend showing up, and this delightful romance features no fewer than 3 couples. The romance between bartender Jo and Tucker’s friend Will is just as appealing as that of Nevada and Tucker, while the third couple consists of Nevada’s mother Denise and her long-ago boyfriend Max. The older couple manages to create some cringe worthy moments that are hilarious, while Tucker’s former girlfriend decides to donate a statue to the city that’s in questionable taste. Definitely a fun read that leaves you wanting more, and you will NEVER forget where Tucker proposes.

Carly Phillips Serendipity I was prepared to dislike the heroine of this book, because I was afraid she’d come off as a spoiled little princess, but she’s actually nothing like that. Faith Harrington’s husband divorces her when her father is sent to prison for a Madoff type ponzi scheme, and Faith returns to her small town to start her own decorating business. When she runs into the town’s bad boy, Ethan Barron, her new business gets a boost when he hires her to decorate her former family home. Even better, her love life picks up. Ethan’s got his own family issues, since his parents died when he was 18, and he abandoned his two younger brothers to the foster care system. He’s hoping to establish a relationship with them, which becomes all the more complicated when their fourteen year old half sister is dumped at Ethan’s doorstep. Despite all the complications, Faith and Ethan are likeable characters you’ll want to root for, and the fact that Ethan is a bad boy on a motorcycle proves irresistible.

Christina Dodd Revenge at Bella Terra (Scarlet Deception #2) I confess that I had my doubts about how Ms. Dodd was going to pull this novel off, but she has another winner with Revenge at Bella Terra. Eli Di Lucca is in dire financial straits and too proud to ask his family for help, setting the stage for a marriage of convenience. He agrees to marry Italian businessman Tamosso Conte’s daughter Chloe if Conte will pay off his debts. Since Chloe is completely unaware of the deal, I’m sure you can see why I had my doubts! Chloe is starting her second mystery novel and already suspects her estranged father of matchmaking, so Eli has his work cut out for him. But the two end up spending a lot of time together when a mummified body is discovered at a local water tower owned by Eli, and sparks start to fly. He manages to get the girl, but convincing Chloe to stay once she learns the truth is the hard part. Watching the strong, silent type fall for the creative Chloe is a real pleasure, and while the villain was a bit predictable, the mystery is no less enjoyable. It’s going to be hard to wait until the third book comes out in April!

Should I give up on Medieval Romance? Or, Lack of Personal Hygiene is Not Romantic

It seems like the last week or so I’ve been reading a lot of romantic suspense, so I decided to change things up a bit and try something completely different. I went to my Kindle (always dangerous) and started looking through the Kindle store for books by authors I liked and discovered that Madeline Hunter has written several books I hadn't read yet. Now, I loved Ms. Hunter’s Rarest Blooms series after I discovered the books at the library, so I thought I’d give one of her earlier books a try. I chose By Possession, and after putting it down, then picking it up, then putting it down again, I realized that maybe I should have read the back blurb a little more closely, because it’s a medieval romance. And the problems I had with the book are not in any way related to the writing – Ms. Hunter does a wonderful job and clearly has researched her topic. Unfortunately, reality and medieval times just don’t strike me as romantic. I mean, no one brushed their teeth, for goodness sake! Also, there were no flush toilets, which is just gross, and people smelled really bad. If you were really lucky and had money, you could afford to bathe once a month and had perfume to cover the stink the other 29 days of the month. That’s just nasty. And I can’t help thinking about that when the hero and heroine start to DO the nasty, because I’m wondering if they’ve bathed recently or have lice or anything, which is a total mood killer, let me tell you!

Of course, most romance novels with medieval settings don’t mention that sort of thing, and really, neither do contemporary romances. Who wants to think about toilets in a romance novel? But when I’m reading a contemporary, I pretty much assume that the hero wears deodorant and brushes and flosses, so no problems there. The real problem with medieval romances for me is the way the women are treated. If the book makes any sort of attempt to be true to the period, women have no control over whom they marry or are allowed to own personal property, which is just awful. And that was the problem I ran into when I was reading Madeline Hunter’s By Possession. The hero is a nobleman and the heroine a bondwoman – or is she? You see, there’s some doubt about her actually belonging to him. She claims to have been freed earlier and almost everyone agrees, but the hero claims that’s not the case. So she’s stuck. This doesn’t strike me as a very loveable quality in one’s hero, am I right? Yeah, I pretty much wanted to stab him in his well-fitted tunic and hose, but alas, that was not what happened. The book does get much better, even for my modern sensibilities, but I decided that maybe I should just stay away from medieval romance for awhile.

Then I remembered that I’ve read medieval romances by two of my favorite authors ever, Amanda Quick and Christina Dodd, and even LOVED them, so maybe medieval romance isn’t so bad. Also, one of my all-time favorite mystery series is Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books, which are wonderful and occasionally have romantic elements. And that prompted me to rethink my decision to give up on medievals. Here are 4 mini-reviews of medieval romances that I did like, including the not-as-bad-as-I-made-it-sound By Possession.

Christina Dodd Candle in the Window

This is one of the first books by Ms. Dodd I read, and it’s a real charmer. It also has the dubious distinction of having a cover with a heroine with three arms when first printed. (Check out the picture to the left.) Fortunately it’s been reprinted many, many times and the lovely Lady Saura of Roget no longer has an extra appendage (ahem). It takes place in 1153 in England, where Lady Saura is considered one of the most beautiful women in all the country. She’s been summoned to help Sir William of Miraval learn to deal with an injury that has caused him to go blind. Sir William is appropriately hunky and she’s not your typical medieval wench, so sparks fly. Lady Saura is an unusual heroine, because she’s been blind from birth, and I love watching her whip Sir William and his household into shape. Competent women of any time period are truly appealing, and Lady Saura is a real gem. Quite frankly, Ms. Dodd’s delightful sense of humor makes this one a lot of fun to read and led me to spend a lot of money I didn't have on her other books.

Amanda Quick’s Desire

While I’m no expert, I believe this is probably the least “realistic” of the medieval romances I’m listing here, but if you read romance for realism, you’re just crazy. Who does that? The novel begins with Lady Clare from the remote British Isle of Desire having written to her liege lord, asking him to send her several suitors so that she may choose one for a husband. Instead of listening to her requirements, which include that her suitors be of medium stature, pleasing disposition, and a man of learning, Thurston of Landry sends her one suitor – his son, Sir Gareth of Wyckmere, aka the Hellhound of Wyckmere. If you’re thinking that any guy nicknamed “Hellhound” probably isn’t of medium height or of pleasing disposition, you’d be right. At least that’s how it seems to Lady Clare when she meets Sir Gareth, but appearances can be deceiving. Ms. Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) writes some truly hilarious scenes, particularly the wedding night.

Amanda Quick’s Mystique

This and Desire are the only medieval romances that Ms. Quick has written, and this is my favorite of the two, even though Desire is a hoot. I love Mystique because the heroine is quite talented at working around the limited choices she has. She wants to go to a convent to study rocks and minerals, but her uncle will not allow that. When Lady Alice’s father died, his lame son was deemed unable to defend his lands properly and the lands reverted to Alice’s uncle. Yet despite this, Lady Alice manages to make her uncle pay and drives off several unwelcome suitors. It’s only when Sir Hugh the Relentless arrives, searching for a green crystal, that Alice is able to escape her Uncle’s home. Sir Hugh makes a bargain with the intrepid Lady Alice that she will pose as his fiancée until they recover his green crystal and then she can retire to a convent, but he actually plans on convincing her to become his wife in truth. While in general medieval men may not have appreciated intelligent women, it’s a pleasure to see Sir Hugh’s appreciation of Lady Alice's many interests.

Madeline Hunter’s By Possession

By now you may have decided to give Ms. Hunter’s medieval romance a pass after reading that the hero, Addis de Valance, refuses to admit that Moira Falkner is a free woman so he can keep her near, but that would be a mistake. Of the four books mentioned here, By Possession is by far the most “realistic” in how the medieval men and women interact with one another. It’s set in the 14^th century during the reign of King Edward II, and in addition to the realistic gender relations there’s also a lovely description of London at the time. When I say lovely, I mean gross, but let’s face it, pretty much every town of any size in medieval Europe had to be pretty rank. Two words – no sewers! But despite the harsh realism surrounding Addis de Valance’s treatment of a woman not of his class, their romance is both touching and sensual. There were plenty of moments when I wondered if this book could possibly have a happy ending, but it all resolves beautifully and the history that unfolds alongside the romance is gripping. While this is not a humorous romance the way that the other three are, it is definitely a great read.

A Review of Christina Dodd’s Taken by the Prince

Christina Dodd’s Taken by the Prince was released a few weeks ago, and I just got the chance to read it this weekend. Ms. Dodd writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romances, and I’ve read nearly all of them.Perhaps I enjoyed this particular historical novel of hers because the heroine of Taken by the Prince has a lot in common with yours truly: Victoria Cardiff is strong-willed, bossy, opinionated, and a real stunner. Okay, well, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad, right?

To be blunt, the premise of this novel is far-fetched. I can only imagine Georgette Heyer rolling in her grave, but it IS lots of fun and the characters really likeable. The hero, Saber (Raul) Lawrence, is the illegitimate son of English Viscount Grimsborough and an unnamed woman from the fictitious country of Moricadia. Moricadia is suffering under the tyranny of the de Guignard family, which unjustly overthrew the rightful heirs to the throne nearly 200 years ago. Prince Saber, sensing that the time is right, has taken full advantage of his stuffy English education and connections and is now ready to overthrow the government of Moricadia and take his place as king.

Victoria Cardiff is the friend of Saber’s half sister, Belle, and early in the novel she and the hero share a smoldering kiss at a ball. He is, naturally, an arrogant jerk, and she gets pretty steamed, particularly since her financial situation forces her to become a governess and she can’t afford any slurs on her reputation. Three years later, the prim Miss Cardiff is accompanying her employer and his family on a trip to Moricadia, where she spots Saber in the hotel. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize that his delusions of grandeur (being a prince, etc) are in fact true, and when she makes a passing comment about said delusions, he decides that he needs to kidnap her until his revolution takes place, since he can’t have her tipping off the truly heinous, scarier than Hannibal Lector-type authorities.

This novel requires more than its share of willing suspension of disbelief, but the fantasy is so delightful I have to recommend it. Clearly Ms. Dodd has imposed 21^st century characteristics upon her hero and heroine. Victoria experiences no difficulties in engaging in political debate with Saber and assists her employer with his financial work, and Saber’s willingness to listen to Victoria and acknowledge intelligence and initiative among the female revolutionaries doesn’t exactly ring true for the 19^th Century. But the growing relationship between the two protagonists and the portrayal of how the men interact with each other make this fantasy charming. The secondary Moricadian characters are a hoot, and Victoria’s ability to charm them over to her side makes this one of my favorite Christina Dodd historical.