Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean
What I do remember of this novel is that there’s a lot of context that’s vaguely anachronistic (e.g., lots of characters who have leeway to travel alone and cause all sorts of mayhem) but it’s all in service of a good cause. I always root for MacLean heroines, as you can see by the speed with which I finished this one (less than a day, and that might have been in travel as well). This one also sticks out to me as being quite spicy […]
Heartbreaker by Sarah Maclean
CBR14 Bingo: Heart (it’s right there in the title, and this is a romance) Adelaide Frampton was once the unappreciated daughter of one of the East End’s most notorious criminals, which led her to acquire a number of illegal skills that now come in handy as she frequents London’s high society posing as the unassuming and plain spinster cousin of a duchess. She uses her time on the sidelines of ballrooms and society events to observe and acquire information and can also put her top-notch […]
Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices by Edited by: Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington
Thank you, llamareadsbooks for gifting this book to me in the CBR Book Exchange! CBR14 Bingo: “Time” – This anthology moves through time, from the ancient past to the far future. Sword Stone Table first came to my awareness through emmalita’s review. When narfna reviewed it a few weeks ago, it prompted me to move it to the top of the read pile. I have a deep affection for stories about King Arthur and Camelot that probably started with the Disney animated version, was strengthened by […]
Elven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
I think the first half or even 75% of this book was a 4 star, and then it started dropping towards the end such that I couldn’t in good conscience keep it there. As I have mentioned in the past, historical romances where the female character has some rationale for being utterly anachronistic are my jam. Here, we have Juliana Fiori who was raised by a single Italian merchant father after her mother, a fallen marchioness, abandoned them both to gallivant off with another man. […]
Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
Scandalous Sesily is the last of the Talbot girls left unwed, but her heart was captured long ago by her sister’s best friend and business partner, Caleb. Having found purpose as part of a group of vigilante women, Sesily discovers on Caleb’s return that he too has secrets of his own – and a dangerous enemy. Sarah MacLean’s books can be a hit or miss for me. They have so much to love – smart heroines, dashing heroes, engaging premises and plots, and an early […]
Designs on a Duke by Ellie St. Clair
A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
Fatal Affair by Marie Force
You have to hand it to Sarah MacLean. While she takes romance seriously, her books are fun. The banter is good, the scenarios are imaginative, and the characters are self-aware. I had this realization early in A Rogue By Any Other Name, when, as part of his attempt to kidnap and marry our heroine, the titular rogue spanks her, a move that is equal parts sexy and comical. MacLean is especially good at writing conventional aristocratic women who find themselves plunged into a London underworld, which is the case […]
