Romance Book Reviews
A Lady of His Own by Stephanie Laurens
Avon, October, 2004Paperback, 435 pages
ISBN: 006059330X
Subgenre: Historical
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Stephanie Laurens is in fine form with the second book in the
vastly entertaining Bastion Club series. The Bastion Club
consists of wealthly former spies for England who have not
really made their peace with the fact that society expects them
to find an appropriate wife and take their places in society, so
they formed a club to protect themselves from the matchmaking mamas.
Lord Charles St. Austell, Earl of Lostwithiel, is home from the
Napoleonic Wars and knows that it's time to find a suitable
consort. But the giggly girls of the ton leave him cold so he heads
off to his country estate to investigate the rumors of spies and smuggling
in Cornwall at the behest of his commander, Dalziel. Charles immediately
encounters an old flame, Lady Penelope Selborne, sneaking around his house
at midnight, dressed as a man. Naturally, his curiosity is aroused, but
Penny has problems of her own. Her late
brother appears to have been doing some very illegal things such as
smuggling, and it looks like someone is carrying on the tradition.
But will the fact that Charles is an expert at intrigue prove
to be a help or a hindrance in Penny's quest for the truth?
Stephanie Laurens could have a successful career as a thriller writer if she chose, and A Lady of His Own certainly illustrates that point. Penny and Charles are an interesting and very strong-willed couple. Penny has a mind of her own and is willing to rebel against the staid conventions of society in order to achieve her goals. The couple is mercifully free of the endless misunderstandings that sometimes seem to plague Regency-era historicals. The sensuality quotient is off the charts on this one (and that's saying something for a Stephanie Laurens book), and the intrigue makes for added enjoyment. With Charles safely plucked off the marriage mart, fans can breathe a sign of relief and wait for the next Bastion Club member to step onto the stage.
Enchanted by Magic by Gloria Harchar
Love Spell, December, 2004Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN 0505526174
Subgenre: Paranormal
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
The magical land of Quelgheny exists in the same space and
time as Earth and it is populated by pixies, trolls and other
supernatural creatures. When meddling pixies Allegro and
Largo make an error which will destroy their home of Jubilant,
which lies in the clouds above Great Britain, they know that
they must continue to interfere in the lives of humans
in order to set things straight and
restore the timeline. Lauren, the daughter of a thief, can barely
make ends meet for her and her two sisters so she pretends to be
the daughter of a long-lost lord and befriends the generous Lady
Bing. Lady Bing's will specifies that her grandson Grant must marry
Lauren if he wishes to inherit her massive state. Grant is unhappy
with the command and suspicious of Lauren, but agrees to the
marriage. The pixies will have their work cut out for them, in order
to make true love bloom and save the land of Jubilant.
This lighthearted, whimsical romance is the perfect
pick-me-up treat for anyone stressed out by the holiday rush
and in need of a heartwarming laugh.
The Power of Two by Patti O'Shea
Love Spell, November, 2004Paperback, 358 pages
ISBN 0505525933
Subgenre: Futuristic
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
In the world of 2176, wars have left the earth in a fractured,
suspicious state. Technology is advanced, but the terrorists
are legion.
Cai leads a lonely existence since her parents disappeared
when she was a teenager. The army took her in because of her
high intelligence and aptitude for computers, waiving the normal
age requirements. Earth Army Special Forces recruits Cai for a special project
where she was linked via nanoprobes with a Special Forces operative,
Captain Jake Tucker. Cai provides technical back up and intel
in real time while Tucker and his men carry out their dangerous
missions all over the world. Tucker thinks that his
link is with an AI-enhanced computer, not a brilliant young
woman and Cai hasn't enlightened Tucker, who is her only real
friend. But when Cai heads off on her own mission to find her
parents, she decides its time that Jake found out the truth. So she
gets herself assigned to Jake's next mission to the floating
Raft Cities where Cai's parents are being held hostage for
their scientific knowledge. Jake, horrified that the voice in
his head is a human, and at the idea of Cai meeting pirates,
terrorists and criminals in the notorious Raft Cities, balks at the
plan. But his CO overrules him and the team sets out to
find and capture the notorious Banzai Maguire, who is suspected of
leading a revolution for freedom against the oppressive current government.
After they find Banzai, Jake promises Cai that he will find and
rescue her parents.
Although The Power of Two is the fourth book in the bestselling 2176 series, which are all set in the same futuristic world but are each written by a different author, it reads as a top-notch, stand-alone thriller. Patti O'Shea is a truly amazing new writer. Her characterizations are pitch-perfect. The shy, introverted Cai who managed to get through Special Forces training and who can go head to head with any commando, hides a world of pain and isolation and her journey to the outside world is absorbing. Jake is more than a cardboard action hero; he is well-realized and complex. The action and love scenes are both absolutely mesmerizing. The Power of Two is clearly one of the best action romances written this year. Highly recommended.
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