least favorite of Georgette Heyer's novels
931334
REALLY this is my least favorite heyer book. I just could not like Oliver Carleton and it was hard to see the love between him and Annis.  Black Sheep has a similar story line but is one of her best!
4609570
I used to read Anne Perry's books as soon as they arrived at my local library, but the last one I read was "Death on Blackheath" in 2014, and I had missed several prior to that, the 29th(!) in the series.  So when I was offered the opportunity to read Perry's latest Christmas novel(la), I decided "why not?".  Mariah Ellison is Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, and a crotchety, downright rude old woman.  No one from her family seems to want her for the holiday season, therefore when an invitation to help an old friend arrives in the shape of a lead ball in a fruitcake, Mariah decides to go on a visit.

The mystery was really secondary to the story, which to me, was really about Mariah coming to terms with herself and her behavior, realizing that it is entirely possible that her relatives do not want her around because of her demeanor.  The setting is well described, and the main characters are well fleshed out with quirks and habits that make them come alive.

I gave it three stars, because although Mariah was a relatively unfamiliar character, the story really did not hold my interest.  I have read a few of Perry's other Christmas specials, but the only one I remember really liking was "A Christmas Garland".
3826918
Having relished Klassen's previous books, I've been looking forward to this one.  Klassen seems to put a lot of research into her work and she usually manages to bring a reader back in time. However, right from the beginning, you don't really believe Margeret. She has too many outspoken and independent American tendencies.  Also, we don't believe Joan as a maid. I think Klassen forgot the whole class system in England for this one.  However, I kept hashing through.  I'm sorry to say that the plot and characters just do not fit into the time period and so the story is just plain cheesy!.  If this is your first book by Klassen, I recommend you read one of her earlier works.  The Silent Governess, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Apothecary's Daughter are all believable and very good reads.
2365430
First Sentence:  With a weary sigh, Sarah Brandt pushed open the front door of her house.

Turn-of-the-century midwife Sarah Brandt is surprised when her very proper mother wishes Sarah to accompany her to a spiritualist.  Her mother still feels guilt over the estrangement and eventual death of Sarah's sister.  When her mother returns for a second visit, it is the death of one of the other clients which leads Sarah and her friend, Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy to find the killer and shield Sarah's mother from scandal.

The more I read, the more important to me becomes an author's voice.  Unfortunately, and perhaps unfairly, after finishing books by Louise Penny and Imogen Robertson, Ms. Thompson's voice came through to me almost as if the story were written for young adult readers.  It just didn't have the depth or richness that compelled me to read beyond the first 35 pages of the book.  I have read some of Ms. Thompson's previous books and enjoyed them, but this did not work for me now.

MURDER ON WAVERLY PLACE (Hist Mys-Sarah Brandt-NYC-Edwardian) - DNS
Thompson, Victoria - 11th in series
Berkeley Prime Crime, 2009, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780425227756
2752420
Charlie's mother, Kathy, decides to move to the countryside in a place called Flightsend. Flightsend is a way for Kathy to get away from her old life. Ever since Kathy gave birth to a stillborn, she has not been the same. Her daughter would have been named Rose. As a result, Kathy quits her job and dumps her boyfriend. Charlie does not see how moving to Flightsend will help anything, especially herself. Now, Charlie will be far from all of her friends. However, soon after moving, Charlie lands a job waitressing at Nightingales and realizes she may be wrong about Flightsend.

I did not enjoy Flightsend. None of the characters held my attention. They were all kind of boring. The plot was not much better than the characters. Most of Flightsend deals with Kathy's midlife crisis and how it all affects Charlie. I almost felt as if Flightsend dealt too much with Kathy's problems. At times, I felt that this novel should not be labeled YA. This is especially bad considering that the novel is in Charlie's point of view. My next dislike is completely subjective. I really did not like the font that Flightsend is printed in. The font is 12 pt. New Baskerville. This is the first time that a font has really bothered me in a novel, and I really think I would have enjoyed Flightsend slightly more if it was printed in another font. :/

On a more positive note, there was one thing that I enjoyed about Flightsend. While the things I dislike outweigh the thing I like, I think it is still worth mentioning. Flightsend takes place in England, and I did enjoy reading the English dialect. There were probably a few other small things that I liked about Flightsend, but I can't remember them at the moment. Come to think of it though, if I can't remember the things, then I must not have liked them too much...
1509193
As a fan of Margaret Laurence's Manawaka series (including her masterpiece, "The Diviners"), I was looking forward to reading "The Stone Angel."  Sadly, it was a disappointing, unsatisfying experience.  "The Stone Angel" is about Hagar Shipley, a ninety-year-old woman looking back on her life.  As could be expected of an elderly woman, her present life isn't exciting, but unfortunately for the reader, her entire past is also a long, dull journey.  The only interesting part of Hagar's life, her childhood, is summed up in a few pages.
Hagar complains constantly throughout the novel.  She is not an endearing grandma type, nor is she a wise old woman.  Hagar is probably a realistic example of a typical elderly woman, but who wants to spend hours listening to the ramblings of a bitter old lady?  Not me.  However, Hagar's personal qualities aren't what ruins this novel.  If a nasty character offers keen observation or leads an interesting life, a book can still succeed.  But Hagar's lack of wit and insight and her boring life make "The Stone Angel" an utter failure.  This novel is as dull and dry as a prairie town in the summer (no offense to the good folks out west), and I do not recommend it.
4497130
This was by far my least favorite of Georgette Heyer's books.  After the promise of the first few chapters, I found Horatia to be an irritating twit and could not fathom why Lord Rule would have been in love with her.
3364078
I love the Recency romance genre, and some are definitely better than others. As a young student of course I read Jane Austen and loved her writing. When I was older I stumbled onto Georgette Heyer. Needless to say, these two set a very high standard for me in this genre. I have since set myself a few rules for a really good historical romance. They must use historically correct language; they must display historically correct manners; and they should be believable as to societal structure of the times. All this and a great romance. Unfortunately, this title displays only one of these four, but fortunately it is the most important and that is that it is a last a good romance. I would have liked to give it 2 1/2 stars, but this is not possible and this is this writer's freshman performance. I sincerely hope she does a little more research for her next offering.
136974
Although the novel is relatively well-written (except for the occasional misuse of words, like "plain" for "plane" -- as in "the plain of her stomach" rather than "the plane of her stomach"), the plot is thin and the heroine is a whiny twit.

Tasha, a second grade teacher from Portland, Maine, has saved for "twenty years" to rent her dream home for the summer.  (I'm not sure how that worked exactly since Tasha is only 30, but whatever.). The gorgeous Victorian house is on a bluff overlooking the ocean in a beach town called Summersbury where Tasha vacationed every year with her family as a child.  As a child she met her one and only boyfriend in Summersbury, Brad, who has just cheated on her and dumped her after a thirteen year relationship.

When Tasha arrives to move into her dream house for the summer, she finds it already occupied by mega movie star Spencer Ellis.  Spencer's agent, Yvonne, has negotiated around Tasha and rented the house out from under her.

After a ridiculously short confab, Spencer and Tasha agree to share the house for the summer.

This isn't actually a bad setup for a romance novel and I've suspended disbelief for sillier premises in hopes of reading a satisfying love story.  But this premise is as far as this author goes.  The rest of the book is one long slog of Tasha berating and belittling herself for being "boring" and a "loser" and whining about how Brad did her wrong.  All of this whining is taking place while the most desirable man on the planet makes love to her every chance he gets and treats her like a queen.

Two huge problems with the novel are that Tasha's ex, Brad, hovers over every page but never makes an appearance (his older brother does, but it's very brief), and that the reader can NEVER imagine what a cool guy like this hotshot actor sees in this horrible complaining woman.  Bringing Brad onstage would have helped the reader understand why Tasha is so down on herself.  This novel needs a villain to give some context and a likeability factor to this icky heroine.  Plus it would have been very satisfying to read the showdown between Brad and Spencer.

The novel is under-plotted and the heroine is just unlikeable.  One extra star for setting the novel in Maine.  I love Monhegan Island.

I got this novel for free, but my time is worth something.  Please don't waste yours.
4087162
This book was a real snooze.  I especially do not like the new character she has created in DCS Ardery.  I hope she is gone by the next book.  George's last book, "Careless in Red" was also uninspired.  "What Came Before He Shot Her" was outstanding as was "With No One As Witness", the two books prior to CIR.  She needs to write the book that resolves the matter of Joel Campbell and the death of HL.  WCBHSH was the best of George's books to date and I have read them all. Knowing the ending did not take away from the drama - it was sad to watch it unfold..  Let's hope that EG will be back on form with her next book, hopefully, picking up on the investigation of Helen's death. Lynley needs to get to know Joel.  We are all rooting for the Campbell family. We also want more of St. James and Deborah.  I never liked Helen but I am sorry she is gone...Lynley loses some of his class without her.  P.S.  I went back this week and tried to read this book again and found myself skipping over all but the parts where Havers is involved.  I cannot stand Ardery and could not be bothered to read about her.  EG needs to ditch Ardery.  It wsa a real disappointment for her to have Lynley and Ardery have an affair.  It was a low-class type of gimmick that detracts from the storyline. I want more Havers and Lynley and less of the "distractions".
3267008
The other three are okay, very standard second level Regency writing. I've been reading and collecting Regencies since discovering Georgette Heyer in 1961, and there is nothing in this anthology that even remotely approaches Balogh or Beverley, let alone Heyer or Austen. A pleasant and very light summery read but not worth keeping.
2995670
Amanda Grange is the author of Mr. Darcy's Diary (also published as Darcy's Diary) which I thoroughly enjoyed and Mr. Knightley's Diary which I found to be slightly slow and tedious.  When I discovered that she had also written this Regency romance I was anxious to see how I would enjoy a book written by her not involving characters from the works of Jane Austen.

Cassandra Paxton has gone to Brighton after being in mourning for a year with two goals in mind.  She wants to get her home there in pristine condition so that she can sell it, and she wants to find out what her brother meant in a letter he wrote shortly before he died in a riding accident.  In the letter Rupert states that he has done something "terrible" but gives no clue as to what it is.  Cassandra decides to question Rupert's friends to see if any nasty surprises remain for her to find and clean up.  The first friend she calls on is an impoverished earl, Justin, Lord Deverill.  Cassandra is reassured by Lord Deverill that Rupert was probably just referring to a gambling debt and there is no need for her to worry.  Since Rupert's other friends all say the same thing, Cassandra knows she should just accept their advice and enjoy the time she has left in Brighton before she goes back to the country for good.  Unfortunately, she seems to be having quite a few accidents, any of which might have proven fatal if fate had not intervened.

I was quite disappointed in this book.  It does not have nearly enough depth to the characters nor to the plot.  I found myself thinking quite often that any sixth or seventh grade girl would find this easy reading.  There was a mystery.  But it wasn't very interesting.  There was a romance.  But it was hard to tell it was a romance because there wasn't much feeling shown between our hero and heroine.  There was an old family legend, a bit of espionage, and a revolting man who offered to set Cassandra up as a mistress for gentlemen.  All of this should have held my interest.  None of it did.  It was rather bland and very flat.  The author included a description of an evening spent at the Brighton Pavillion with the Prince of Wales as host.  The descriptions were not terribly well done and the "entertainment" entered into by the Prince after dinner was a curiosity but only raised questions from me concerning firing pistols indoors.

I'm sorry to say that I do not recommend this book for Regency romance readers UNLESS.....you want very large print, a light fluffy read and a surprise ending which anyone in their right minds will see coming from a mile away.  The choice, as always, is yours.
3530139
I really wanted to give this book more than 2 stars but there were some major issues with the storyline that I could not enjoy.  Our heroine, Margery Quennell, - at age 23, has been through several seasons and has never taken.  At long last, her father, the Earl of Chelmswood, is giving her permission to bow out of the Marriage Mart and allow her to rusticate in her country home, a place she loves with all her heart, including the simple life it affords.  During this last season, she is unexpectedly sought out by the Marquess of Edgecombe for a dance.  She's astounded but they have some enjoyable conversation until she unintentionally hits on a subject that hits a sour note with him.  He simply returns her to her seat and never speaks to her again.

After Margery is back at her family home, Chelmswood, her father shows up with his young bride, Desdemona, who is a few years younger than Margery and who is a little witch.  In fact, she's a huge pain in the rear and has Margery's 50ish father wrapped around her little "demon" finger.  Thankfully, they don't stay very long, but head to London where the earl is manipulated into spending, spending, spending until at last, he has determined he must sell Chelmswood.

This so upsets Margery that she decides she will go back to London for one more season and find herself a husband.  This time she has a plan which includes a total makeover in her attire, her hair and her persona, at least until she can "manipulate" some gentleman into marriage.  Before long, she's stringing three gents along - all friends of Edgecombe which results in Edgecombe attempting to thwart her at every turn.  Some of the "thwarting" is a little humorous, but there's really very little satisfaction in most of the storyline.

***SPOILER***
Eventually, the situation gets dire for Margery, in part due to Edgecombe's remarks made at a very public dinner in front of the Prince Regent resulting in Margery heading back to her country home in a somewhat depressed state, giving up on the Marriage Mart for good. Edgecombe, feels really guilty and decides to propose marriage to Margery.  She accepts, they get married and through a misunderstanding, mostly on Edgecombe's part related to the fact that Edgecombe felt Margery enjoyed the marriage bed a little too much.  As a result, things go downhill before the marriage has time to take off.  At some point, Edgecombe begins seeking out other female companionship and this doesn't set well with this reader.

Margery realizes what he is doing and manages to successfully turn away the other women, until Edgecombe gets wise to her game and is finally successful in bedding an attractive widow. He feels horrible afterwards and heads to his father's home, apparently to try to get some answers.  It seems Edgecombe had always thought that genteel ladies didn't feel and act as passionate in bed as Margery had responded.  This part seemed very unrealistic to me, but his father straightens him out and shares about his own life with Edgecombe's mother.  Apparently Edgecombe was mostly raised by servants and didn't realize his parents had a love match. Also, Edgecombe had, when he was young, imagined himself to be in love with a woman who slept with every Tom, Dick and Harry.

Yes, they manage to have their HEA, but not until after Edgecombe spoke of Margery in derogatory terms to some of his friends, thereby resulting in a very dangerous trap for Margery.  This story bothered me after reading it.  I hate the feelings that remained after I finished the book. What good is an HEA for the H/h if the reader doesn't have one.  I did not not have my "Happily Ever After" and that's one thing I expect when I read romance novels.
2529001
I may have overstayed my welcome, so to speak, with Natasha Solomons. I have read all her books because I loved Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English, I liked the House at Tynford, but I must admit to not loving the most recent one. I thought it was a fluke and therefore tried again.
Nothing particularly wrong with the book, it just isn't particularly good or interesting. I hate to say it, but she tried too much to recreate the mood of the Tynford, probably with some prodding from people who want to sell books in the age of Downton Abbey.
The story is about an elderly man, a musician, who recalls the love of his life, a famous wartime singer (who happened to be his brother's wife). His love has recently died (they were husband and wife)while dealing with her recent death he discovers a great musical talent in his young grandson.
This is a unique story only in the fact that the modern day story is better written and more interesting than the past, not usually the case is a book with this set up.
The story, the emotions are predictable, the characters too familiar (been there, seen them) and it's a bit of a disappointment given what the author has been capable of in the past.
4113987
This is one of Georgette Heyer's unusual novels in that it took place in Georgian period about 40 years before the Regency era when most of her novels took place.  The plot is focused around a marriage of convenience between Horatia, a 17-year-old girl (with a stammer) who is constantly getting into trouble, and the 32-year-old earl of Rule.  The premise was interesting enough as at the very beginning it was clear that Horatia was rather guileless and said what was on her mind, while Lord Rule was a rather laconic man who clearly found her quite amusing.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the promising premise fell apart in my book.  Horatia is in fact a reckless, irresponsible girl with a penchant for gambling, spending money quite wildly, and doing any impetuous thing that comes into her mind.  She came across to me as a spoiled brat, and I had more pity for Lord Rule than I had a desire for the two to fall in love.  I didn't find myself really at all interested in her character, though I enjoyed Lord Rule's.  I could also see some readers being annoyed by reading Horatia's stammer, which is portrayed throughout the book (constant "b-but," etc.).

I did not find the romance convincing.  Being intrigued initially, yes; falling in love, no.  After the first chapter or two, none of Horatia's positive traits are really portrayed, and you only see her causing trouble and grief for her husband.

This book was a bit more melodramatic than the other Heyer books I've read, with mistaken identities, double-crossing, an abduction, a sword fight in an inn, etc.  This is less appealing to me.  On the plus side, like the rest of her books, this is "clean," without any sex scenes, or even any more than a couple briefly mentioned kisses.  There's also wit in her dialogue, especially in Lord Rule's.  But, I wasn't able to enjoy it nearly as much because of Horatia's character.

I've now read about a dozen Georgette Heyer books, and this is probably my least favorite.  I would recommend instead&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Civil-Contract/dp/037381089X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Civil Contract</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Nonesuch/dp/1402217706/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Nonesuch</a>, or&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Foundling/dp/1402219482/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Foundling</a>.  The Convenient Marriage is not going to find a home on my bookshelf.
514780
Elizabeth Essex is a great writer, and I heartily recommend many of her books - but this one leaves a lot to be desired.  The heroine is a typical, and typically pleasing, spunky resistor of Regency norms.  She is also a devoted sister, which is how she finds herself in an engagement with a much older, and not very appealing local lord, Lord Aldridge.  I enjoyed the set up of this novel a lot, and really loved the meeting between the heroine and hero.  Our heroine, Antigone, punches a handsy young man on the dance floor at a ball, and retreats to the library.  The hero is William Jellicoe, a character we met in "Almost a Scandal".  (I loved that novel, and although Jellicoe had only a small role, I was very happy to meet him as a grown man.)  He, too, wants to get away from the stultifying atmosphere of the ball, and makes his way to the library.  The two engage in a lovely conversation that establishes their connection as friends (how great is that?!?), and ultimately go on to pursue a night of adventure, with a dollop of sexual chemistry.  Wonderful!  But sadly the novel does not maintain this level of charm and engagement.

**Spoilers to follow**  Although Jellicoe is clearly enamored by Antigone, and pursues a relationship with her, he apparently thinks it's obvious that they won't marry because of his naval career.  This obliviousness doesn't make sense, given his reliable and honorable character.  Antigone falls in love with Will, but she, too, knows he won't marry her.  This, too, doesn't quite make sense to me.  And even as Antigone and Will's relationship continues to develop, Antigone's engagement with Aldridge is maintained.  The more we learn about him, the worse he seems.  At first, he's cold and controlling.  Then, for a while, Antigone believes he's marrying her just for her horse.  She's unhappy upon learning this, but at least it gives Aldridge a motive for wanting to marry her, which he had thus far been lacking.  But then it turns out that Aldridge is actually a pedophile who finds boys in London to use for sexual gratification.  Apparently this fact is widely know by his peers, but no one admits it or does anything about it.  I don't know if this is a possibility in Regency England.  Perhaps it's perfectly historically accurate.  But it makes for pretty heavy going in a romance novel.

Moreover, the horrors don't end there.  Finally, we learn that Aldridge had actually wanted to marry Antigone when she was 12 because she was a boyish girl.  Her father refused multiple offers from Aldridge, but Antigone's mother was open to making a match between them.  When Antigone's father dies, that opens the door for the mother to take up Aldridge's offer, even though she knows exactly who Aldridge is, what he does, and why he wants to marry Antigone.  Antigone's father is described in the book as loving and wonderful, but also financially irresponsible.  Her mother is presented as shallow and anxious about money and station.  By the end, the mother is revealed as a moral monster, wholly willing to pimp out her daughter to another monster in order to secure her own well-being.  I found it deeply unpleasant reading, as well as more than a little confusing.  Supposedly, Antigone's parents loved each other.  If her father was a deeply decent person, how can the sociopathic nature of his wife have escaped his notice?  And how have Antigone and her sister lived normal, happy, healthy lives in the care of such a person?  The moral psychology here makes no sense at all.

So please - do yourself a favor and go read "A Sense of Sin" or "The Danger of Desire", and give this one a pass.
1102782
Just not as good as most Heyer books.  I really enjoy most of her books, but this one just hasn't the appeal as others.