Deborah Swift’s The Gilded Lily is rather wonderful. It’s the story of two sisters bound together in adversity, one-step ahead of the hangman’s noose. They flee to the dark streets of London where they seek their escape and, perhaps, their fortune. This is a sheer delight. It’s a rollercoaster ride of thrills and romance. I absolutely loved it. I think you will too. Of course, there comes a moment in every life when you have to decide between the needs of family and the needs of yourself. How …
Romance
My (Not So) Perfect Life
Sophie Kinsella is a well-loved and respected writer in the women’s fiction genre and if you’ve read her previous work, you’ll know what to expect here. This is a woman’s novel about women and for women, our dynamic heroine Katie Brenner is found enduring a life she does not want, because she is afraid to tell anyone else what she does want. The office politics in her unhappy career feel all too real to me and there are moments when I wanted to shout at Kate to “wake up”. You will too. You’ll …
Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice
It’s time for a love story! I’ve picked Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice by Heidi Ashworth this week for an awesome Regency period love story. As you might expect this is one of those “billionaire romances” in disguise but without any 50 Shades of Gray connotations. It’s a love story and definitely not an erotica piece. Elizabeth Armistead is convinced that the only reason men are attracted to her is her looks. Now, this may or may not be true but she meets Colin Lloyd-Jones (the wealthy …
To Tame A Montana Heart
Dawn Luedecke’s To Tame a Montana Heart tells the tale of Travis Simms who is heading to Hot Springs, Montana to set up a hotel and shack up with the woman of his dreams. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a story at all if it were to go according to plan. So, it doesn’t. Travis catches the eye of the town troublemaker and despite himself, he finds himself falling for her. This is a great novel and I had a lot of fun with it. It’s not going to win any literary awards, but it has no pretensions …
The Valley of Amazement
Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement tells the story of three generations of women: Lulu, who ran away from her family to follow the Chinese artist who impregnated her to Shanghai; Lulu’s daughter Violet, who was accidentally being abandoned by Lulu and sold to a courtesan house, had to find her own way through life; and Violet's daughter Flora, who, in one of many instances of fate repeating itself through the generations, was stolen from her real mother by the American family of her dead …
A Recipe For Disaster
This one’s not a cookbook… it’s a romantic comedy chick lit creation and while it’s not quite the golden days of Bridget Jones, it’s not half-bad either. This is the story of Oliver and Lucy and their failing marriage and a cake making business. If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to date Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay, this may be the closest you’ll ever get to finding out. Recipe for Disaster is a lovely tale of second chances and an understanding of what love really means. Get …
Montana Snowfall
Yay! It’s a historical romance by Caroline Fyffe, who is one of my favorite authors of the moment, Montana Snowfall is an excellent introduction to the McCutcheon Family Series and while it is the 7th book in a series of 10, it’s perfectly accessible if this is your first title from the series. Set in Y Knot Montana before the turn of the 20th century this is a super story of conflicted love and rather wonderfully – bear hunting! Who can resist the combination of classic American manliness …
For The Roses
Julie Garwood’s For The Roses scratches my favorite reading itch; it’s a passionate historical romance. Julie, as I am sure many of you will know, is a Number 1 New York Times Bestselling author and her work is popular for the flight of fantasy that it brings to a classic setting. Here we meet the Clayborne family for the first time and we find ourselves with Mary Rose, an adopted child, when a stranger arrives to pursue her and risks destroying everything that the family has worked so hard …
The Mistress Enchants Her Marquis
Imagine combining 50 Shades of Grey (but without the BDSM) with the world of the aristocracy rather than the billionaire jet set. That’s pretty much what Christina McKnight’s The Mistress Enchants Her Marquis is about. Despite this iffy premise, Christina is a USA Today best-selling author and I found myself being drawn in any way. I think you need to have at least fantasized about being a princess in order to enjoy this but if you have… that’s how you’re going to feel as you read Samantha …