Tag Archives: Romance

Persuasion by Jane Austin

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It’s hard to state why Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austin novel. Then novel is procession of rationalizations behind motives. Each one a march towards a relationship between Anne and Fredrick. It is a slow torturous novel which forces the reader to see the pain caused by one person to persuade another to give up the man she loves and how they persuade themselves and each other to get back together.

Reasons unfold like flowers. Conclusions are thrown about like seeds. The climactic moment comes when Anne reads Fredrick’s letter, which he almost didn’t leave for her, and finds out that he would have her back if only she said so and he was a fool to think he would be with anyone but her.

There is something about he pace of the story, the denial of happiness for properness and the final conclusion in which they come to the understand of wanting to be together that has the essence of romance without the tropes we normally see.

I downloaded this book for the Kindle app on my MyTouch 4G. I like having my favorite books available where ever. Now if I could only trade in my physical books for digital ones I’d buy an ereader in a second.

The False Betrothal by Clarice Peters

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The False Betrothal is a somewhat confusing tale of falling in love because it’s convenient. Lady Alexa Eiseley gives shelter to to Leigh Winslow (who has taken his mother’s name for some reason) and nosy neighbors mistakes him for Earl Sebastian Winslow. So to save face they decide, both confirmed bachelor(ette)s, to pretend to be betrothed to each other.

Hi-jinx obviously ensue as breaking the engagement keeps getting pushed back to save the feelings of family members. Then, mainly to do something with the hinting about other characters, they have to figure out how to break a counterfeit ring.

Peters, AKA Laureen Kwock, hasn’t written a bad story. It was a fun read, all that you’d expect from a Regency Romance, except for the side plot whose solving ran to the silly side (no one could possibly be a fault because they are part of the higher classes).

So fun…if a little silly. I like stories of 19th century England and this book delivered.

Charmed by Nora Roberts

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Book Three in the Donovan Legacy, Charmed follows Anastasia, the daughter blessed with healing powers. She is cut off from life because of a past betrayal but when Boone Sawyer and his daughter move in next door…well this is a romance novel folks.

The book is sweet and fun. Not too much in depth on any subject other than their relationship, the book is a great afternoon read.

Things I’m Not Doing

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Sweeping Epic Gothic! That’s how best to describe Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates…a book I’m no longer reading because the prose drowns you.

Drowns I tell you.

I made it one third of the way through the book and couldn’t take it any more. I couldn’t breath, think without despair and I didn’t care about anyone.

Didn’t help the book started with a drowning either.

So that book went to Black & Read…they didn’t want it either. I’m having trouble with the O’s. Besides O’Dell (Island of the Blue Dolphins and Zia) and my current book I’ve dropped Kevin O’Donnell of the brink for his boring, make me do math, Sci Fi snoozer Fire on the Border. Then there was Tawni O’Dell’s murder most foul and unlikable character tome Back Roads. At least I made through Twilight and got many hours of entertainment out of it with making of the fun. These I couldn’t even deal with. It is possible the Edwin O’Connor books might end up on the same pile…but they are at least readable so far.

Also I’m apparently not selling my house. The banks said no at the last minute before closing and the buyer pulled out because she can’t get a conventional loan or pay cash only. Frell…anyone want a house?

I have a ton of other things to do then leak money. Don’t worry, I’d be in this same position had a kept my day job. Worse actually, because I’d be letting down folks other than myself. The room cleansing continues.

We’re not getting a bread maker. The broken one J. bought still sits in the kitchen. He called Cuisinart, who agreed to replace it. Apparently they didn’t say what they’d replace it with. So far we have an espresso maker, and a brick oven (I kid you not) sitting next to the broken bread maker. We give in Cuisinart…we’ll just bake the old fashioned way.

Finally, I am not on schedule. Damn. Kick me now.

Dark Inheritance by Carola Salisbury

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Another Gothic romance written by a man pretending to be a woman. This time Michael Butterworth as Carola Salisbury.

This one’s actually pretty good. Susannah Button, a destitute well educated daughter of a tavern keeper, finds employment as a governess to the local money’s youngest daughter Hester Dewaine.

She falls for the oldest son, Mark Dewaine. But then horrible things start to happen, she is eventually sent to Venice to be a companion to an old matron. As things progress she goes to London, then to Oxford, and eventually back to Venice.

It’s a whirlwind novel with all kinds of plot and intrigue. The payoff is huge and immensely satisfying.

Opal-Eyed Fan by Andre Norton

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The Opal-Eyed Fan is a Gothic romance set in the Florida Keys. Persis is a young orphan shipwrecked on Lost Lady key with her dying uncle. The story follows Persis as she takes control of her life in the wake of her uncle’s death.

Personally, I love this story. Andre Norton has created a small compact world in which nothing is as it seems and anyone can be in control. She leaves with the typical cliffhanger, but characters are rich and interesting.

Sleep, My Love by Elizabeth Norman

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This novel’s a little hard to pin down. Elizabeth Norman’s Sleep, My Love is a romantic mystery. It was well written, face paced and interesting. However it depended completely on the naivety of the heroine, Louisa. I pretty much figured out the major points but the motives weren’t learned until the end. The end is slightly disturbing with “the queen did it so can I” attitude. Over all it was a fun read, deeper that one might suspect. I did not like either of the love interests. One beats women while the other is a megalomaniac (you figure out which one she ends up with). For me the book was not satisfying in that way. Plus there was a major flaw in the inheritance scheme. Really, why worry about heirs when you can leave it all to whoever you want?

Still the whole low person thing was brilliant. It was a great device in which the meaning is not clear until the end. I liked this book a lot, even with its problems.

Daughter of Darkness by Edwina Noone

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A gothic novel of melodramatic proportions. Amanda Trent, a tutor hired in London, heads for Walesly-Upon-Thames to become a companion for young Karoleigh Stafford. After being frightened by stories of the ghost that haunts the castle and the craziness of the family, she sees the ghost. Then our tissue-wet heroine falls in love with Lord Stafford as he’s the only convenient lord around, though she only really talks with him three times.

How ever-so-much sugar can you pour into a gothic novel? The answer is none but Ms. Noone must have missed that quiz. Karoleigh is beyond fake and full of syrup. Amanda is as stalwart as any wet paper bag. The men might as well be non-existent for all their worth in this book. But this one of those, she-male stories. The author’s real name is Michael Avallone.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

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This is an unique view of the court of Henry the Eighth. Told from the point of view of the youngest Boleyn girl, Mary, the story unfolds a seemly underworld of glitter and sex. The Boleyn and Howard families are given brilliant life. We see Mary struggle to be good, be loved and be accepted only to be thrown aside. She struggles with finding her own happiness over serving her family. We watch her trying to breath as her family drags her down with them on the eve of Anne Boleyn’s execution.

The story is filled with many flat characters, even Mary tries not to change. Gregory holds the reader frustrated until the conclusion. We get a nice glimpse of peasant and court life in 16th Century England as well. This was a good read, if a little depressing. The sex is vivid, the horrors enough to make you squirm but I still enjoyed the book.

Perfecting Fiona (The School for Manners, Book 2) by Marion Chesney

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Some romances are full of adventure and well, romance. However, some people take this perfect formula and destroy it.

In Marion Chesney’s second “School For Manners” book, she takes a great romance and inserts two biddies that screw it up at every turn. This is the single most frustrating 168 pages I’ve every read. Fiona is smart and headstrong, so is her beau, Peter Harvard. However Amy and Effy Tribble are over-mannered, moronic simpletons who are greedy, misguided and down right nasty.

Chesney took a good story and destroyed with two flat characters as the main characters. They don’t learn anything. The only thing that affects the Tribbles is money. If you can get past these horrible characters, the story of Fiona and Peter are charming. Of course the Tribbles interfere and destroy things in the story every chance they get. I really don’t recommend this book.