Puppy Love

When I was younger, I occasionally looked at friends' comic books, but the stories were hard to follow. They were all serials, so they continued from something I hadn't read, carried on in something not yet in the friend's collection, and frequently referred to other stories (*See Muscleman vs Waterman #235 to understand this remark). …

Fury’s Kiss

Fury's Kiss, by Nicola R. White, was published in 2013 by Strange Roads Press, and is the first of four books in her New England Furies series. This was a venture a little out of my comfort zone. I believe the genre is urban fantasy, though when I was young it was just called fantasy. …

Royal’s Bride

After reading Kat Martin's Royal's Bride, a 2009 book recently republished by the upscale Harlequin imprint Mira Books, I had two thoughts. First, this is great, and second, this wonderful mix of melodrama, passion, and realism seems familiar. That's because I read another Martin, Heartless, about a year and half ago, and loved it too. …

Awful Eighties Book

I'm not going to name this book or the author, because as much as I dislike the book, it's thirty years old, so I don't need to warn anyone away. Also, the author is a prolific writer, a best-seller in several genres, and this was from early in her career. I assume she was writing …

Seducing the Accomplice

Seducing the Accomplice is a 2011 Harlequin Romantic Suspense from Jennifer Morey. The story opens with Sadie being abandoned by her boyfriend. In Albania. Without money or a passport. Fortunately a handsome stranger comes to her aid almost immediately. Unfortunately, Calan has a macguffin, and when the bad guys see Calan and Sadie together, they …

One Unashamed Night

One Unashamed Night, by Sophia James, is a Harlequin historical, first published in 2010. The cover includes the tagline "The Undoing of a Lady," but this is selling the sizzle. The story open in the English countryside, on a dark and snow stormy night, in 1826. Lord Taris Wellingham, suffering from failing eyesight, is traveling …

Heartless

Heartless, by Kat Martin, is a 2001 release from St. Martin's, though still in print. Having just finished the sombre and low stakes When He Was Wicked, I wasn't sure about tackling another regency era romance. Heartless has a much different tone, with action and threats aplenty. Ariel is the teenage daughter of a tenant …

Her Secret, His Surprise

Her Secret, His Surprise, is a 2014 novel by Paula Altenburg. This is from the Red Hot Bliss imprint at Entangled Publishing. The Bliss imprint promises "sweet contemporary category romance with a small-town, family vibe," and it appears Red Hot Bliss replaces sweet with some heat. I am predisposed to like this, partly because Altenburg …

Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor, by Hope White, from 2013, is a Harlequin in the Love Inspired Suspense line. Love Inspired romances are chaste, with nothing more than a few kisses, and there are occasional references to vaguely Christian faith, expressed as non-denominationally as possible. Love Inspired Suspense adds lots of action, at the level of a cozy …

Accidental Princess

The Accidental Princess (2008), by Nancy Robards Thompson, is a charming mix of reality and whimsy. This is part of the Harlequin NEXT line, generally featuring older women such as divorcees and widows, who "discover that an unexpected fork in the road can be exactly what you need." Sophie Baldwin was married for fifteen years …