Hardly an hour of any day goes by when I don’t think “Wouldn’t I rather be reading a romance?” HARDLY A GENTLEMAN, our most recent offering from Eloisa James, is a good example of why I feel this way. Clara is smart, feisty, and tired of the restrictions and expectations of life in London society in 1803, and she’s especially tired of the unwanted attentions of a certain prominent prince (yes, the prince). She escapes to Scotland, where naturally she meets a laird and ends up living in close proximity to the gorgeous Caelan, who (darn it!) is often forced to bathe outdoors in the loch as his dilapidated castle is under repair. Much of the plot is…fanciful, but as always, Ms. James’s characters are strong, resourceful, generous, and of course, sexy. I finished HARDLY A GENTLEMAN far too quickly, and as always, felt bereft at having to say goodbye to the characters—including, as always, a marvelous array of secondary figures and a few scene-stealing and loveable animals.
I try hard to keep up with new offerings, but I also strive to catch titles I’ve missed, and I was fortunate this month to read two great ones. My daughter recommended THROWBACK, by Maureen Goo. It’s a fun but meaningful story of a young woman thrown back to her mom’s final days of high school (think “Back to the Future,” which the protagonist laughingly references). Sam resents her mother’s conservatism and seemingly constant criticism but has never considered what Prisilla experienced as a first-generation Korean in a far less tolerant era. There are great cultural tidbits and a sweet love story that I feared (needlessly!) would find no resolution. Sadly, the world around us has grown harsher and less welcoming since THROWBACK’s publication in 2023, and if fictional Sam were telling her story today, she might be less astonished by her mother’s experiences.
Another title I somehow missed but went wild for was THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE by Colleen Oakley. I listened to a borrowed copy from the library but fell so in love with the story that I’ve since purchased two print copies and urged it upon almost everyone I know. Louise is an old woman, and her children think she’s in need of company since she’s obviously deteriorating physically and, they presume, mentally. Tanner’s in need of a place to stay and an income, if even a small one, since she’s lost her college sports scholarship after an injury. The unlikely couple take off on a cross-country journey, and for a while, both Tanner and the reader are in the dark as to why. What is Louise up to? Has she lost her marbles? Like eating a delicious artichoke, the delight grows more intense and more tender the deeper one goes in the story, and the denouement is both extraordinary and wonderful. As members of my family continued their coerced reading, texts were flying back and forth at each reveal. Trust me, this is a book that readers of all ages and tastes will treasure.
Returning to new titles, I was delighted to immerse myself yet again in a fabulous new title by Nora Roberts. HIDDEN NATURE seizes upon the public’s fascination with near death experiences, but in this novel, fanatics take their fascination and warped philosophical/religious views to extremes. Sloan Cooper’s a police officer who’s had such an experience herself, and as she gradually begins to see connections between a string of seemingly unrelated abductions, the danger to herself and the inhabitants of the territory she’s sworn to protect grows more menacing. Like so many of Ms. Roberts’s characters, Sloan is someone you’d love to spend time with in real life, as are her family members and the attractive contractors, Nash and Theo, who have moved in nearby. And like so often happens when I read her books, the pages seemed to turn faster and faster the nearer I came to the dramatic climax.
One more author caught my negligent attention with her latest book: Christy Carlyle’s DUKE AND LADY SCANDAL is both a terrific regency/adventure/romance but also the start of whole new series. Ms. Carlyle is a prolific author with numerous well-loved titles, but DUKE AND LADY SCANDAL is somehow the first I’ve read. I fell in love with the determined and indefatigable Alexandra Prince as she struggles to run her family’s antique shop amidst a wave of criminal activity. Fortunately for both Alexandra and the reader, Detective Inspector Benedict Drake, nick-named “Duke” by his colleagues, is determined to track down the villains and protect Miss Prince. The historical detail is illuminating, the plot intriguing, and the repartee captivating. I’m eager to immerse myself in all of Christy Carlyle’s impressive backlist.
My own backlist is small but growing, so check out SECOND SIGHT, SECOND ACT, or SECOND STANZA for an exciting romantic adventure with characters who fight forces standing in the way of love’s true trajectory.
Meg's friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed "serious pursuits" to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she's free to turn her attention to her first passion - putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.
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