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I like Elizabeth Chadwick's writing. She makes history come alive through personal stories. Sometimes her characters are real, and other times invented, but withing a strictly historical time frame. These characters are invented though set in the (very real) time of the Norman Conquest. This is a book of two parts, the first is about Ailith, a Saxon, happily married to Goldwin, a talented blacksmith, and living in London. Pre Hastings, a Norman wine merchant takes the house next to Ailith and Golwin and thus the scene is set for Ailith to be drawn into the Norman world after Hastings and to meet Rolf de Brize, Norman horse breeder who ends up with English lands after Hastings. The second part concerns Rolf and Ailith's daughter, Julitta, and Benedict who allows himself to be married to Rolf's other daughter, which is unfortunate as it turns out. During the twenty year span of the story the Normans are established in England and throughout this time Rolf is supplying war-horses to the king and his knights. There's some good detail in here and the story is an interesting read, though not my absolute favourite of Ms Chadwick's books (which would be the sequence about William Marshall). Well worth a look if you like your history romantic or your romance historical.
A story that takes place in two timelines, centuries apart. Gil in 1968 and Mayken in 1628 on a doomed Dutch East India Company ship called the Batavia after the place it’s heading. (Batavia is now Jakarta.). In 1968 Gil, age nine, has come to a small seasonal fishing community on one of the Abrolhos Islands, off the west coast of Australia, to live with his curmudgeonly grandfather Joss, after his feckless mother has died. Gil is maladjusted after the circumstances of his mother’s death, and his grandfather doesn’t help much at first, being in the middle of a feud with one of the other fishing families. Gil manages to get himself firmly embroiled in the feud. Back in 1628 Mayken’s mother had died and her voyage (to join her father) embodies a fictionalised account of an infamous shipwreck and the terrible events that followed, when the survivors washed up on the inhospitable island. But before the wreck we follow Mayken, a bit of a wild child, as she explores the ship, and tries to catch a mythical shadow monster. The two stories run side by side. In 1968 there is an archaeological team digging the wreck, so Gil reads about the shipwreck and believes that Little May’s ghost haunts the island. The writing is elegant, but dark. The pace is measured. While Gil’s story is grim, it has a satisfying ending, however, we know from the start that Mayken/Little May did not survive the wreck and subsequent marooning of the Batavia’s survivors, but her story is still compelling. 
Oh dear, this book nearly hit the wall several times. I so wanted to like it, but sadly it annoyed me in several ways. I didn’t really connect with the characters. They all did things for the sake of 'plot' rather than doing things that arose out of their natural character. It’s 1816. The heroine, nineteen-year-old Eliza Melrose, is being launched into London’s high society now that her father’s newspaper business has taken off and made him very wealthy. She’s being forced into marriage with Frederick, the son of her father’s irascible business partner (a duke). Frederick is a dull young man with no character to speak of (at least not that we see) but he’s titled, so Eliza (coming from new money) should be grateful. Then she meets the young, taciturn (and unpleasant) Duke of Chester, Johnny, rumoured to have started the fire that burnt his family to death on the other side of Belmore Square. You can guess the rest. This is supposed to be sexy and scandalous, but to be honest I found there was way too much tingling going on. Every time she sees Johnny, Eliza practically has an orgasm on the spot. (And that starts before she’s even said hello.) Regency romance is my guilty pleasure. I’m a fan of Bridgerton, so I’m hardly a stickler for accuracy or even verisimilitude, and I’m OK with sex in a book, explicit or not. but this just didn’t sit right. Eliza writes for her father’s newspaper (under her brother’s name, which is fair enough) but she also climbs down drainpipes (and up again) without a second thought, barges into a brothel to bring her drunken brother home, and stands in front of galloping horses with complete disregard for safety (twice). She suspects that something is going on between her father and the irascible business partner, and that is teased throughout, but when all is revealed, it isn’t such a big deal. There’s certainly no real reason why Eliza must be married to Frederick. Any fertile woman will do for him. It has a happy ending (of course) but Eliza doesn’t really have much of a hand in bringing it about. Style-wise, there were also some arbitrary shifts into present tense, which seemed strangely unsettling. I was a bit worried about Eliza's mother's dresses, described as being layer and layers of fabrinc and very frilly, but in 1816 the predominant fashion was for the slimmed-down, high-waisted neo-classical shape. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's easy enough to get something like that right, or, if Mama is wearing something notably out of (or ahead of) fashion, at least say so. I wish I’d given up at 11% rather than sticking it out to see if it got better. It’s eight hours of my life that I’m not going to get back.
Captain William Hawksmoor, a half-pay Captain in the Royal Navy, currently without a command is surprised to find that, despite being the youngest son of a youngest son, he’s inherited an estate (Kingscastle) and a title (Marquis of Athelney). The only stipulation is that he should marry before the trustees can release the estate funds to him. So far, so Regency romance. What makes this a bit different is that much of it is told from William’s point of view and concentrates on him learning how to be a Marquis, seeing a tailor, acquiring a valet, when for the last fifteen years he’s needed nothing but his naval uniform. But William rises to the occasion. He has to cope with a vicious aunt (living in the estate’s dower house) and a monstrous flood, but he has allies (who are involved in a sub-plot romance). Lady Willoughby Hawksmoor, the harridan aunt, is determined that William should marry her timid daughter, but William realises that his aunt’s paid companion, Eleanor Burgess, is more to his liking. It all works out the way you might expect, but the journey is interesting. This is a very ‘clean’ romance, don’t expect sexual romps as in Bridgerton.
I wasn’t all that keen on this one. There were a few moments when I considered not reading on, but I’m generally not a quitter. Artemis Jones is an outwardly respectable teacher by day and at night writes gothic romances under a pseudonym. Tired of the narrow curriculum at the finishing school she works at, she quits and heads to London, ostensibly to help out a friend who is trying to avoid the marriage mart, but with an ambition to find a sponsor to allow her to open her own school where young ladies can study the same academic subjects as young men. Dominic Winters, widowed Duke of Dartmoor has decided to find himself a new duchess, one who might understand his rebellious teenage daughter better than he does. Yes, these two meet and it’s instant attraction, of course, though neither will admit that it’s anything more than mutual lust. There’s a lot of sex in this book, which doesn’t generally worry me if it’s well written. Unfortunately Artemis is very forward for a Victorian lady. She drops her drawers at the slightest opportunity, and is quite enamoured of the Duke of Dartmoor’s ‘love truncheon.’ (I kid you not.) Nuff said.
Kitty has one London season to find a wealthy husband to save herself and her younger sisters from penury. With the help of her late mother’s friend she intends to launch herself into society, but her ‘aunt’ has a less than respectable past and doesn’t have the haut ton connections that Kitty needs. She takes a chance to latch on to the younger brother of Lord Radcliffe and ingratiates her self with his sister and mother, but Radcliffe himself is another matter altogether, and recognises Kitty for the fortune hunter she is. Yes, you guessed it, they start off as enemies and end up… well, you can guess. Regency Romances are my guilty pleasure. This was engaging and frothy, and a good debut novel.
This is a post-Roman Arthurian story, but don't expect the sword in the stone trope. The story is told by the elderly monk, Derfel Cadarn, who is writing the story of Arthur in secret. We pick up the story when Derfel is little more than a child, raised by Merlin who has gone off to seek 'the matter of Britain'. The resident druid, Nimue, Merlin's lover, is Derfel's childhood friend, whom he loves but knows he cannot have except in friendship. Also resident is Morgan. The High King, Uther, dies, leaving his baby grandson on the throne - that's Mordred, born with a club-foot. There's a lot of politicking between the tribes, and eventually Arthur, Uther's bastard son, already grown and a fine warrior, returns to protect Mordred and his kingdom from Saxon incursions and the other British tribes. Everything's going swimmingly and Arthur is about to be betrothed to the lovely daughter of a rival tribe when he sees Guinevere and all common sense goes out of the window, leaving the Dumnonians vulnerable on several fronts. This is really a coming of age story of Derfel. Arthur doesn't appear until about half way through and Merlin eventually slips in and out of the story even later than that. And the names? I'm presuming Welsh in nature with a lot of double Ds. Though I'm sure they're authentic-ish, I could wish for some of them to be a little more pronounceable. Though this was a fresh take on the Arthurian legend, the first half was a little too slow I'm not rushing to read books two and three yet, though I do have them on my kindle in case I get the urge. I don't think this is a patch on Cornwell's Richard Sharpe novels (which I read avidly about twenty-some years ago). I haven't read The Last Kingdom, though I've very much enjoyed the series on TV. I should give that a try next.
A Regency romance with a thriller sub plot. Alexander Sinclair - an earl (aren't they always) - has to crack the gang which is trying to assassinate the first minister. This leads him to Henry Everett and his schoolmistress sister, Olivia. The title is a bit of a misnomer, Alex is not a rake (though he has had a wild past) and Olivia is not as priggish as her school-mistress exterior would have people believe. Expect danger and romance (steamy). Booklog 16/2022: Meagan Spooner: Sherwood
Feb. 15th, 2022 11:29 pm
I'm a sucker for Robin Hood books, though this is a bit different. Robin of Locksley dies in the first chapter, leaving his betrothed, Marion of Edwinstowe, desolate. In unseemly haste, Guy of Gisborne is given Locksley Manor and immediately comes courting. Propelled by various injustices to her people and the people of Locksley, Marion eventually comes out of her depression and gradually takes on the persona of Robin Hood, becoming more and more embroiled in her double-life. Even (most of) her 'merry' men don't know her true identity and think that the spirit of Robin is with them. It eventually reaches a conclusion I did not expect, which was good, but strange. I was eager to like this and found I didn't like it as much as I expected to. Though there are many good things about Sherwood, I found one or two things that rankled. Marion is, and has always, been better than Robin. She's a better archer, a better fighter, better with a sword. She's the one who taught him to climb trees (and castle walls). Yes, she makes occasional mistakes, mostly of judgement, but in general she slips into a leadership role because she's tall for a woman, and no one guesses her gender. There were a couple of mild historical bloopers early on which I glossed over, but when Marion attends a banquet at Nottingham Castle at which potatoes are served I was thrown right out of the story. After that I found myself watching for more anachronisms such as arrows being 'fired' instead of loosed, and 'fall' being the season that follows summer. As far as I can tell fall didn't come into use in English until the 1500s. Autumn comes from the French autompne, from the Latin autumnus, but can't be proven to be in use before the 1300s. An earlier word might have been harvest. It comes from the Old English word hærfest, of Germanic origin. <sigh> You can tell I went down the google rabbit hole following up on this. I probably wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't been so disappointed in the potatoes.
Audiobook, read by Matt Addis. A medieval murder mystery. Though this is Book 6 it stands alone and there's no sense of missing information from previous books. Set in the early 1100s, Sir Geoffrey's unpopular brother, Henry, is murdered and Geoffrey inherits Goodrich Castle in the Welsh Marches. His sister, the castle's ruler in all but name, immediately pushes him to find a bride and produce an heir, but all the available ladies of suitable rank are problematical in one way or another. Geoffrey is lately come from the Crusades and even his own people assume him to be violent and bloodthirsty, like (or even worse than) his dead brother. In trying to work out who killed Henry, Geoffrey steps into a veritable hornet's nest of more murders, revenge, arson and (Welsh) uprisings, with one woman seeking to destroy every Mappestone in revenge for Henry killing her husband. There were quite a few plotholes and things that happened for the sake of the convoluted plot. For an experienced investigator (presumably in the previous five books) Geoffrey accepts some explanations that are truly flawed, but he sorts it all out in the end, though a couple of the culprits (literally) get away with murder, even though we do learn the truth. This is very ably read by Matt Addis and I enjoyed listening to it, though on reflection the plotholes were a little unbelievable.
My Whole Booklog 2021
Dec. 28th, 2021 09:02 pm
With the year drawing to a close, here's my list of books read in 2021. There are 73 in total, including re-reading a couple of my own. I'd like to give a quick shout-out to T Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon, particularly for the two Saint of Steel books I read this year; also to John Scalzi for his Old Man's War series. Special mention to Benedict Jacka for wrapping up his twelve book Alex Verus series in fine style. New to me this year was K.J. Charles's trio of excellent Will Darling adventures which I read one after the other. Julia Quinn, author of Bridgerton which hit TV screens this year, provided some lovely fluffy Regency romances - my guilty pleasure. There were single books from some of my favourite authors: Liz Williams, Juliet E. McKenna, N.M. Browne, Sebastien de Castell, Kari Sperring, and Lois McMaster Bujold. I had a great reading year, topped off by Leigh Bardugo's Rule of Wolves which at the very end promised another Kaz Brekker book. He's my favourite character from the Six of Crows Duology. Here's my full list. You can get my thoughts on these by scrolling back through this blog. Happy reading in 2022. (Don't forget my seventh book, The Amber Crown, is out from DAW on 11th January.)
1) Simon R Green: The Best Thing You Can Steal
2) Liz Williams: Blackthorn Winter
3) Georgette Heyer: Venetia
4) Hannah Matthewson: Witherward – Witherward #1
5) Julia Quinn: Mr Cavendish I Presume – Two Dukes of Wyndham #2
6) Charlotte Anne: The Unworthy Duke
7) T. Kingfisher: The Hollow Places
8) Julia Quinn: Dancing at Midnight – Splendid #2
9) Julia Quinn: Minx – Splendid #3
10) Patricia Briggs: Wild Sign – Alpha and Omega #6
11) T Kingfisher: Paladin's Strength – Saint of Steel #2
12) Julia Quinn: Everything and the Moon – Lyndon Sisters #1
13) Julia Quinn: Brighter than the Sun – Lyndon Sisters #2
14) James S.A. Corey: Leviathan Wakes – The Expanse #1
15) Ben Aaronovitch: Takes from the Folly – Rivers of London
16) Elizabeth Chadwick: The Wild Hunt – Wild Hunt #1
17) Elizabeth Chadwick: The Leopard Unleashed – Wild Hunt #3
18) A.J. Lancaster: The Lord of Stariel – Stariel #1
19) N.M. Browne: Bad Water
20) Ian Mortimer: The Time Traveller's Guide to Regency Britain
21) Jodi Taylor: Another Time, Another Place – Chronicles of St Mary's #12
22) Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway: The Lady Most Likely – Lady Most #1
23) M. Verant: Miss Bennet's Dragon (Jane Austen Fantasy #1)
24) K.M.Peyton: The Right Hand Man
25) John Scalzi: The Ghost Brigades – Old Man's War 2
26) John Scalzi: The End of All Things – Old Man's War 6
27) John Scalzi: The Last Colony – Old Man's War 3
28) John Scalzi: Zoe's Tale – Old Man's War 4
29) Agatha Christie: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
30) Lois McMaster Bujold: The Assassins of Thasalon
31) John Scalzi: The Human Division – Old Man's War 6
32) Michelle Magorian: Goodnight Mister Tom
33) Fran Bushe: My Broken Vagina: One Woman's Quest to Fix Her Sex Life, and Yours
34) Darcy Burke: A Rogue to Ruin – The Pretenders #3
35) K.J. Charles: Slippery Creatures – Will Darling #1
36) K.J. Charles: The Sugared Game – Will Darling #2
37) K.J Charles: Subtle Blood – Will Darling #3
38) Jacey Bedford: Crossways – Psi-Tech #2
39) Jacey Bedford: Nimbus – Psi-Tech #3
40) Becky Chambers: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet – Wayfarers #1
41) T. Kingfisher: Nine Goblins
42) Stephen Aryan: The Coward.
43) Catherynne M Valente: The Past is Red
44) Ursula Vernon: Black Dogs Part One: The House of Diamond
45) Ursula Vernon: Black Dogs Part Two: The Mountain of Iron
46) Stephanie Garber: Once Upon a Broken Heart
47) Jodi Taylor: Long Shadows – Elizabeth Cage #3
48) Sebastien de Castell: Way of the Argosi – Spellslinger #0.5
49) Burgis, Stephanie: The Raven Heir – Raven Crown #1
50) R.W.W. Greene: Twenty Five to Life
51) Juliet E McKenna: The Green Man's Challenge – Green Man #4
52) Sabaa Tahir: An Ember in the Ashes – An Ember in the Ashes #1
53) Katherine Buel: Heart of Snow
54) Genevieve Cogman: The Secret Chapter – The Invisible Library #6
55) Sherwood Smith: The Phoenix Feather – Fledglings #1
56) Kari Sperring: The Rose Knot
57) Andre Norton & Sherwood Smith: Derelict for Trade – Solar Queen #6
58) Stephanie Burgess: Scales and Sensibility – Regency Dragons #1
59) Martha Wells: All Systems Red – Murderbot Diaries #1
60) Jodi Taylor: Saving Time – The Time Police #3
61) T Kingfisher: Paladin's Hope – Saint of Steel #3
62) Lois McMaster Bujold: Knot of Shadows – Penric and Desdemona #11
63) Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman: Good Omens
64) Gaie Sebold: Bad Gods – Babylon Steel #1
65) Mary Jo Putney: Once a Laird – Rogues Redeemed
66) R J Palacio: Pony
67) Benedict Jacka: Risen – Alex Verus #12
68) T. Kingfisher: The Raven and the Reindeer.
69) Georgette Heyer: Sylvester
70) Naomi Novik: A Deadly Education
71) Leigh Bardugo: Rule of Wolves – King of Scars #2
72) Benedict Jacka: Favours – Alex Verus novella
73) Jodi Taylor: The Toast of Time
It's a while since I've read any Heyer and I confess I found this a bit slow when compared to some of the more recent Regency romances. (Bridgeton comes to mind.) But Heyer is what it is. When Sylvester Rayne, Duke of Salford, decides it's time to marry he picks out five potential young debs, with all the right qualities, and asks his mother to choose. She refuses, of course, so Sylvester decides to look over them once again, not believing for a minute that any young woman he picked would refuse him, money, title and all. He's in for a shock when he meets Phoebe Marlow who considers him arrogant and when she (mistakenly) thinks he's going to propose she runs away, knowing her mother would pressure her into the match regardless of her feelings. An accident on the road forces Phoebe and Sylvester to spend time in each other's company and she discovers he isn't the monster she thought him to be. Thus starts a chain of events which leads to the obvious conclusion but on the way there are misunderstandings semi-accidental kidnappings, a scurrilous book, and a rescue. Not my favourite Heyer, but by no means the worst.
I read an earlier book from the Rogues Redeemed series. though I'd forgotten it until there was a crossover of characters towards the end of the book. This is set in the years shortly after Waterloo, so maybe 1820ish. Kai Ramsay, the designated heir, comes home to Thorsay (a fictional archipelago based on Orkney) when he receives news that his grandfather, the laird, is fading fast. He's been away from the islands for 12 years, having adventures (and possibly being a British spy) around Constantinople. Dutifully he returns home, arriving just in time to say goodbye to his grandfather who has been ably assisted in his declining years by Signy Matheson, the younger sister of Kai's long-dead fiancee. Granddad tells Kai to marry Signy, and the stage is set. The two fall in love slowly (after resolving a few issues), and Signy, full of common sense, helps Kai to take up the lairdship. There are financial difficulties and a bit of a problem with Kai's rich cousin, but to be honest there's not much tension in the first half of the book. Oh, someone takes a pot-shot at Kai. but it doesn't seem to be of much significance and it's not followed up. It's a sweet love story but without a lot of highs and lows. Kai is interested in antiquities and there's interest there. Eventually the other 'Redeemed Rogues' from pervious books, all make an appearance to give the book a good ending. Though there isn't much of a plot this is oddly charming with interesting main characters.
At the end of The Sugared Game (Will Darling #2) Phoebe broke off her engagement to Kim Secretan and went off to Paris to launch the very talented Maisie as a fashion designer. Three months later and Kim, no longer working for the shady government agency, is helping Will out in the bookshop. Things are quiet… until Kim's annoying, bad-tempered older brother, Chingford, commits murder at his exclusive London club… or does he? It looks like a cut and dried case, but Kim wants to find out the truth, not because he believes his ass of a brother is actually innocent, but because if he hangs, it leaves Kim heir to the title and estate and that is not a life he wants. He's never been able to please his overbearing father, the Marquess, and can't bear the thought of being bullied by the world's worst parent. Kim has made some bad decisions in his life, in particular refusing military service in the war. He is now living with the death of his younger brother who volunteered in his place. Can he overcome his past? Can Will and Kim have a future? The m/m sex is still explicit, but finally they are talking about feelings. This seems to be a trilogy, and, indeed it wraps up very well, but there could be more adventures. I, for one, would like to see another book in the series.
It's been a couple of months since the events at the end of Slippery Creatures. Will Darling, war survivor and bookseller, hasn't seen Kim Secretan in all that time and doesn't expect to see him again. Will takes his friend, Maisie, dancing to a popular but shady nightclub (this is 1920s London) and things start to get complicated. The nightclub is the base for a bunch of crooks, and it's connected to Zodiac, the secret criminal network that caused Will and Kim so many problems in the first book. Then, surprise, surprise, Kim turns up and things go from bad to worse, A chain of events leads to an impossible situation which involves Phoebe and Maisie as well, and puts Maisie in real danger. This is an explicit m/m romance with a fair number of sex scenes, but it also has great characters and we find out why Kim is sometimes a lying shit. Phoebe and Maisie aren't just walk-on extras. They have their own goal developing independently of Kim and Will, but ultimately it all comes together. I enjoyed this so much that when I finished it at five in the morning, I immediately bought the next one in the trilogy.
Post 1918, England is not a land fit for heroes as Will Darling, ex-soldier, sometime trench raider, and all-round handy man with a blade and his fists, discovers to his cost. Jobs are scarce, money dwindling, and it's only when he's down to rationing himself to one meal a day that he contacts his estranged uncle and is welcomed to a job in his uncle's antiquarian and second hand book shop. A few months later the uncle dies and Will inherits the building and the business, and counts himself lucky – until a thug makes it obvious that something precious is hidden in the shop and Will must give it up. It's a pity Will hasn't a clue what he's talking about. Enter Kim Secretan, a bit upper crust, but easy to talk to and easy to like. More than like if Will is honest. First a criminal gang and then chaps from the War Office threaten consequences, and Will and Kim (who turns out to be Lord Arthur, second son of a marquess, a disgraced aristo mired in lies) are thrown into an adventure involving spies, a criminal gang, a super-secret government department, kidnapping, violence and a web of lies, not all of them from the bad guys. It seems that Will has something that could be very dangerous. If he finds it, does he give it to the criminals or the War Office? Or might he find a third way? I read this because of a good review on Goodreads from someone whose opinion I trust, and I'm glad I did. It's not my usual reading fodder, but I really enjoyed it. It's well-paced, and the characters are complex and multi-layered, not just Will and Kim, but Phoebe (Kim's very understanding fiancée) and Maisie (Will's best friend) who are fully rounded supporting characters. On top of the adventure and the violence there's an emerging m/m romance (with explicit sex) that draws you in and plays out alongside the adventure. Bear in mind that m/m sex in the 1920s was illegal, punishable by a two year stretch in prison for 'gross indecency.'
Anne Pemberton, society miss whose reputation has been ruined by her fiancé being arrested on the day of their wedding, meets Rafe Blackwell, ex thief and illegal money-lender now in the process of leaving his past behind and turning himself into a gentleman.
Last year I read Ms Burke's A Duke Will Never Do, which is the story of Anne's sister, Jane and her romance/marriage to Viscount Colton. There is overlap of characters and Blackwell (in his moneylender guise as 'The Vicar' appears in that story as well. Some of the criticisms I had of that book overlap into this. Anne is a nice girl, a virgin, but she tempts and taunts Rafe into sex (explicit) with the kind of abandon and expertise a nice society miss would probably not know about. Rafe (and his sister) - brought up in the stews of London and introduced to a life of crime at a very early age - actually turn out to be the kidnapped children of an Earl, and much of the book is Rafe trying to regain his birthright and exposing the man who killed his parents.
I found Ms Burke tended to over-explain backstory from several other books set in the same regency world, which overcomplicated the beginning. There were times when I almost stopped reading.
This is set in Regency England, 1818. The hero of this book is Ned Rowlands, a fine coachman and a genuinely decent chap who is finessed out of his job driving the stage and thus becomes coachman for Lord August Ironminster, who has seen something special in Ned and wants him as his right hand man - both literally and figuratively. The charismatic Ironminster was an excellent (if occasionally reckless) four-in-hand driver who lived for his horses until he lost his arm in an accident. He uses an underhand scheme to get Ned fired from his old job in order to employ him. (When Ned finds out about this he inexplicably forgives Ironminster for the manipulation.) Ironminster is dying of consumption, but he's not about to let that stop him from winning a high-stakes race against his cousin. Ned gets involved in Ironminster's hair-raising and hare-brained schemes which have fatal consequences and land Ned in Newgate (not a spoiler because it starts with Ned in prison, looking back on what led him there). Ms Peyton's knowledge of carriages and driving is extremely well researched, or maybe she has first hand experience. You certainly feel that you know what it's like to drive a mismatched, high spirited team on a public road with potholes up to the axles. I'm familiar with (and a fan of) Ms Peyton's Flambards books and her Pennington books, but this was a title I hadn't come across before. I'm glad I found it.
This is a fantasy version of Pride and Prejudice and to a large extent treads the same path: five unwed sisters; a pushy mother; new neighbours (Bingley and his snotty friend, Darcy); Bingley and Jane's attraction; an entailed estate due to pass to Mr Collins unless…
And that's where it changes because the gentry, specifically their wyves, if they are lucky, bind a dragon-like creature on their wedding night with the aid of gold and passion. Draca, no larger that a modest sized dog, and sometimes barely bigger than a wyrm, are a status symbol. The Bennets have a firedrake (high status) and though it's bound to Mrs Bennet, it's Lizzy that forms an affinity… with the firedrake and all draca. She can speak with them telepathically, but naturally hides this ability.
England is at war with Napoleon and the French are trying, without success, to use draca as war beasts, and to this end (while Lizzy and Darcy go through the well known steps of their relationship, and Lydia runs off with Wickham) there is a French plot striking into the heart of Pemberley.
I wasn't sure about this at first (having not made it past the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) but once I got into it I enjoyed it. Unlike Jane Austen, M. Verant uses the war with Napoleon to furnish plot, and also has characters condemning the slave trade which is fine, but unfortunately sometimes in terms which come straight from the 'woke' 21st Century. As the book progressed it diverged further from the P&P plot line. The ending was not really an ending. It simply stopped. This I presume is because there are two more books to come.
Subtitled A Novel in Three Parts and written by three authors, this didn't quite work for me, but I admit that I don't know whether I'd have thought that if I'd believed it to be all the work of one author. Hugh Dunne, Earl of Briarly, needs a wife, or more importantly he needs an heir, but all his passions are with his horses. He cares for nothing except the breeding and training of his Arabian racehorses. Despairing, his sister arranges a house-party and invites a host of eligible females, and men to balance the numbers. Hugh has a list, but if he's not quick of the mark it seems likely that his friends will lay claim to brides of their own. So this is three romances in one book. The stories are all interconnected. I understand that each individual author took point on each of the three romances. The stories are sweet but forgettable, though Hugh does end up with the woman who was under his nose all along. In a book of this length there simply isn't time/space to develop the characters, so I'm afraid that it was a bit disappointing.
This is the third on the Wild Hunt trilogy (which actually has a prequel to make it a trilogy of four books). Prequel: The Coming of the Wolf - Lady Christen and Miles Le Gallois. #1. The Wild Hunt - Guyon son of Miles, and Judith of Ravenstow. #2. The Running Vixen - Adam de Lacey, Guyon's ward, and Heulewen, Guyon's bastard daughter. #3. The Leopard Unleashed - Renard, son of Guyon and Judith, and Lady Elene of Woolcott.To be honest Renard is a bit of an arse at first. Knowing he's coming home to Ravenstow from the Crusades to be wed to Elene, he lets himself be pressured into bringing home his mistress, the seductive dancing girl Olwen. They haven't even been in a relationship for very long but he falls for the 'I'm pregnant' lie, and then of course she announces a miscarriage when it's too late to send her back. Even when he gets her home, and is married to Elene, he refuses to let Olwen go. Eventually, her greed for a protector more powerful and wealthy is what separates them. And, of course, he realises his (now) wife is a much better bet. This is all set against the background of Stephen and Matilda and the war for the crown following the death of William Rufus. Declaring for either one of them is dangerous, almost as dangerous as not declaring. Renard ends up on Stephen's team while his younger brother William, declares for Mathilda. Renard also has a local enemy in Ranulph the Earl of Chester, who wants Renard's lands, and since they are on the border between England and Wales there are constanmt incursions from the Welsh. There's plenty going on to hold attention and Ms Chadwick's writing and history are as good as ever... if only I liked Renard a little bit more.
A timely re-read. I first read this in 2010 and had forgotten most of the story. This is set on the turbulent Welsh borders in the time of William Rufus. Guyon of Ledworth and Judith of Ravenstow meet on their wedding day, a marriage of convenience between strangers in order to protect both their lands from Judith's ruthless and powerful uncle, de Belleme. Guy is in his late twenties with a mistress (Rhosyn) that he loves; Judith's a month short of sixteen and desperately afraid that her new husband will be as violent and cruel as her late father. Guyon sees her as a child and their marriage is (at first) unconsummated, even though he's (gently) set aside his mistress, mother of his daughter. But Judith, young as she is, knows how to run a keep and Guyon and Judith gradually grow into each other despite political intrigue and a secret that could prove deadly. It's worth noting that this was Chadwick's first book.
Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, needs a wife before his thirtieth birthday or he'll lose his fortune. Ellie Lyndon need a way out before her soon-to-be-new stepmother marries her off to the village idiot. It's a marriage-of-convenience plot in which the two of them find love after they are wed. Not as good as Quinn's later novels, but still worth reading.
Love at first sight, followed by a star-crossed lovers meme. Robert Kemble, an earl's son, meets and falls in love with Victoria, a vicar's daughter, not in his social class at all. They plan to elope, but their fathers mess it up for them and each believes the other is at fault. Seven years later, Victoria is a put-upon governess, but when Robert comes back into her life it isn't exactly plain sailing. He wants to make her his mistress; she refuses. Even so, she loses her job and ends up working as a seamstress. It's all right in the end, of course, but this is not Ms Quinn's finest book – written early in her career.
Henrietta (Henry) Barrett wears breeches instead of dresses and manages her elderly guardian's Cornish estate better than any male steward could, however when her uncle dies, the estate and title passes to a distant relative, William Dunford, London's most elusive bachelor. Dunford, it appears, has not inherited Stannage Park, but he's inherited Henry as his ward. Feeling obligated he takes her to London and launches her into the London season where she becomes the darling of the ton and – to Dunford's dismay – more attractive than he could have thought possible. This is one of Julia Quinn's early books, but definitely worth a read.
Ellen Burney is fleeing from her home, dominated by her cruel brother. Penniless she changes her name to Smith and takes up a paid position as companion to an elderly lady intent on staying with her grandson for the London season. Callum Callaghan, the aforementioned grandson, is now a duke due to the untimely death of his older brother. Scarred inside and out by rumours that he had a hand in his brother's death while they were both serving in the Royal Navy, he's become a recluse. His grandmother intends to shake him out of it and, after gettiung off to a bad start, Ellen is part of that plan. Yes, you can see where this is going, but it gets there in an interesting way. A very decent debut novel.
This is the story of The Lost Duke of Wyndham, told from the point of view of the 'sitting' duke. Essentially the current duke of Wyndham is challenged when Jack Audley, another candidate for the title, rocks up and is recognised by their harridan grandmother. The Lost Duke of Wyndham told the tale from the newcomer's point of view and this is from Wyndham's (or is he plain Mr Thomas Cavendish?). I hadn't been intending to read this once I'd read the first one - after all, I knew how the story ended - but sufficient time had elapsed and I'd forgotten a lot of the detail, so it was worth a read. This is Julia Quinn, so yes, there's a romance. Thomas has been engaged to his fiancee since they were both children, pledged by their respective fathers, and he's been putting off committing to marriage, but just as he starts to appreciate Amelia (and she him), it suddenly appears that he might not be the duke, and Amelia has been brought up to be a duchess.Booklog 3/2021:
Jan. 17th, 2021 08:42 pm
Not much happens in this book but it happens (or not) in an interesting way. Venetia Lanyon has been stuck on the Yorkshire estate she was born on for all of her twenty-five years – firstly because her father was a grim recluse, secondly, her older brother who joined the army and after their father died, left Venetia in charge, and thirdly because her younger brother, Aubrey, is a brilliant scholar but crippled by a diseased hip and Venetia has, up to now, been standing in as a parent. When Aubrey has a riding accident he's rescued by their recently returned neighbour, Jasper Demerel, whose reputation as an out-and-out rake is well known. Against all odds Venetia and Demerel become good friends. He courts her and there is undeniable attraction even though all Venetia's friends warn her against him. An unexpected turn of events precipitated by her older brother sends Venetia on a trip to London where she learns a family secret that changes everything. Heyer is always interesting to read, but this is not one of my favourites, I spent a great deal of the early part of the book waiting for something to happen.
Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride – though we don't know why until quite a way into the novel. He heads for London during the season. At the annual Smythe-Smith musicale he fixes his attention on Iris, gritting her teeth and playing her 'cello through the ordeal of performing in the worst quartet ever to torture willing listeners. Iris, pale skinned and pale haired, is used to being ignored, so when Richard pays her some attention she's flattered but suspicious. Then he proposes after barely a few days, and immediately (before she's even said yes) compromises her so the wedding will have to go ahead, and quickly. She freely admits to herself that she would probably have accepted the proposal, but she's miffed at HAVING to marry – just because of a kiss. Anyhow marry they do. Richard whisks Iris off to his country estate in Yorkshire and proceeds to be charming, but without consummating the marriage. Yes there's a reason. It's pretty bonkers and Iris eventually solves the problem. No spoilers. This does fit into the Smythe-Smith quartet, but the first three were woven in and around each other and this one is tagged on to the end and is pretty much a standalone. It's a light, fast read and up to Julia Quinn's usual standard.
I often save Julia Quinn books for when I'm reeling from reading a particularly mind-bending science fiction or grimdark fantasy but this is the year of Covid 19 and comfort reading is the thing, so I thought I'd read all Julia Quinn's four Smythe-Smith books back to back. I mean – four Regency romances in a row – what's that all about? This is the third Smythe-Smith book and concerns Hugh Prentice – seriously injured (ruined leg) in a duel in one of the previous books – and Lady Sarah Pleinsworth. Sarah hates Hugh on principle. The duel caused Sarah's cousin, Daniel, to flee the country for three years, and she blames the scandal on her lack of success at finding a husband. There's a large houseparty for the weddings from the first two Smythe-Smith novels and Sarah's best friend Honoria (one of the brides) tasks Sarah with keeping Hugh company, since he limps so badly that he can't join the other gentlemen for their fun (sporting) pursuits. Yes, you've guessed the ending already, but it's the journey to the end that's interesting.
The second in the Smythe-Smith quartet of books which are a spinoff from Ms Quinn's Bridgerton books. It's the Smythe-Smith musicale again, and Daniel Smythe-Smith returns from exile to see an unknown pianist taking part. He's instantly smitten, but he's an Earl and Anne is a governess with past she would prefer to keep hidden. But Daniel is not to be put off, even though someone keeps trying to kill him. But who is the real target? Again, a witty and bright read. The same core characters reappear, but this time the focus is on Daniel.
If you're familiar with Julia Quinn's Bridgerton Novels you'll remember that they are occasionally required to politely turn up and applaud at the worst concert ever featuring the unmarried Smythe-Smith girls in what their fond mama believes to be a musicale, but which most people would call torture. Daniel Smythe-Smith, Marcus Holroyd's best friend, had to flee the country after an unfortunate duel leaving Marcus to make sure his little sister, Honoria, doesn't make a bad marriage when the time comes. It takes Marcus and Honoria some time to realise what's right under their noses, of course, which is half the fun, Ms Quinn writes witty dialogue with plenty of comedic moments. This is the first of a new four-part series, and I decided to read them all in one go. Highly recommended.
I was curious to read this as Jane Aiken Hodge was a writer I read way back in my teens and twenties. I read a lot of recently written historical fiction, mostly Regencies, so I wondered how this would stand up. If you can ignore the bonkers premise… that Camilla Forest, fleeing a bad situation as a governess in a household with a lecherous older son, is picked up on the road (literally) by Lord Leominster when the coach she is waiting for doesn't turn up. Within a couple of hours he's proposed to her, a business arrangement because his fearsome grandmother will disinherit him if he remains single.
Jodie Taylor is a buy-on-sight author for me, so I really enjoyed getting the backstory of Mrs Mack (St Mary's kitchen supremo), Mrs Enderby (wardrobe) and Mrs Shaw (admin) when they manned the Battersea Barricades during an unbelievable three weeks of revolution in Britain and began the downfall of a corrupt government. Oh, ladies, where are you when we need you?
I've never read any books by the late Sheila Walsh before, but this was on offer so I gave it a try. Written in 1978, it easily stands up alongside the modern crop of Regency romances, with a strong heroine, though the evil antagonist is a bit two dimensional. Felicity Vale, the daughter of a well-respected sergeant major who has been brought up as an independent army brat, has to rely on her cousin for a roof over her head after her father is killed at Waterloo. The cousin, Amaryllis, is the widow of the younger brother of an earl (Stayne) and felicity's new home turns out to be Stayne's estate. Not wanting charity, she takes on the task of governess to Felicity's (spoilt) son and then – at the Earl's request – opens up a school in the village, thus angering an evil neighbour who wants the peasants kept in their place. Dastardly shenanigens ensue with a fire and peril, but eventually it all ends as expected.
Does time travel make this science fiction, or is it pure fantasy? I don't know and I don't care, it's an attention-grabbing read. There's a quick trip to see Henry VIII fall off his horse and a trip to Persepolis, but Clive Ronan is still causing chaos up and down the timelines, so Max and the time police set a trap for him. Well, it seems like a good idea, but when have Max's good ideas ever worked? As a result, Max is dumped in the Medieval period and no one knows where she is. She knows where she is - in St Mary's but about 600 years in the past. She has to learn to live there and to make a new life for herself because she doubts she'll ever get home again. She's desperately missing Leon, but there's someone in 1399 who can offer her protection. She knows Leon would be the first to tell her to find a way to survive, even if that means marrying.
We've known for a while that there was a traitor at St Mary's feeding Ronan information. At last we find out who.
Ever since I heard one of the Falco books dramatized on Radio4's Book of the Week, I've wanted to get round to reading one of Linsey Davis's stories about Marcus Didius Falco, the Roman 'informer' – a detective in all but name. What better place to start than the first book, from 1989? Falco is a fabulous character, impoverished, but clever. He's thirty years old with an interfering mother and a recently deceased military brother (Didius Festus) who was the family's shining star. Falco knows he'll never measure up to his brother, so he goes his own way, living in a sixth floor apartment over Lenia's laundry and taking a variety of 'informing' jobs. This book kicks off when Falco rescues sixteen year old Sosia who was kidnapped from her uncle's house (Senator Decimus Camillus). This starts Falco on a track that takes him from Rome to British silver mines (working under cover and almost dying from the conditions). There's stolen silver, kidnapping, treachery and violence… and the senator's daughter, the acerbic Helena Justinia. Has Marcus met his match?
