The Widow of Rose House/ Diana Biller/ 352 pgs

This is a debut book which strongly reminds me of those written by Simone St. James. It's a wonderful combination of historical fiction, romance, and mystery, complete with a ghost. Alva is newly returned to New York, albeit in disgrace. In France, she'd been on the verge of scandalously divorcing her husband (for good reason). In retaliation, he put out rumors that she was all kinds of immoral. But then in a twist of good luck for Alva, someone killed him. In New York, Alva's high society parents snub her. She purchases a dilapidated house outside the city but it turns out it's haunted and the construction workers won't stick around unless the ghost is gone. Much to her chagrin, Alva is forced to turn to the delightful Sam, a scientist/inventor/ghost hunter. Sam and his family are truly the best part of this book. They are amusing, intelligent, fun-loving, and best of all, kind. Sam and Alva fall for each other in the sweetest way, but given her past, it's a long road to a happy ending. This was a wonderful read.

Arcane Society Series, Book 1 Second Sight / Amanda Quick / 390 pages

Also by the author Jayne Castle / Janye Ann Krentz. Venetia Milton is a photographer and her family is having financial problems ever since her father died and one of his retainers ran away with all his money.  Venetia’s of an age to be considered on her way to spinsterhood when she gets once and a lifetime job for the Arcane House, a secret society, in which she was hired to photograph some artifacts from an old alchemist’s collection.  Gabriel Jones, her employer has this strange mystery about him that draws Venetia to him, and although she might be destined for spinsterhood it doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy some time with Gabriel while in the remote Arcane House away from society, and so she sets up to seduce Gabriel for a night not to forget.  Only as the job is coming to a close the house is attacked and when Gabriel gets Venetia out safe she doesn’t know what’s happened to him. The paper announces his death and in honor of him she takes is last name when the money his job provided allows her family to move to London and open her own gallery. It’s safer and more respectable to be a widow photographer than a spinster.  Only Venetia’s fake husband has come back from the dead and is now affecting her life in London. Gabriel Jones had faked his death to draw out the attackers from that night at Arcane house and now the attackers might come after Venetia thinking she really is his wife.

Bound for Eden/ Tess Lesue/ 350 pgs

This is a new-to-me author. Someone recommended a book of Lesue's, but it was the second book in a series. I decided to read the first book in the series, this one, so I wouldn't be lost. It's a rollicking adventure with lots of action and those parts I loved. For reasons, Alexandra, along with her sister and brother, are on the run from a violent gang of brothers. They head for Independence, MO, hoping to head out on the Oregon Trail and go to their other brother who lives out west. To disguise herself from the gang who is out to get her, Alex dresses as a boy. In the beginning of the story, this makes sense. Later on, it does not make sense at all, and yet she and her siblings keep the truth from the hero. The hero is Luke, a horse breeder and wagon trail leader. I did not care for Luke and wasn't invested with the romance between him and Alex, which was mostly based on lust. As an Oregon Trail saga with lots of action, this is a great book. The characters were just not for me. Now to decide if I really want to read that recommended second book...

Some Like It Scandalous/ Maya Rodale/ 355 pgs

Recommended by a coworker, this is a fun Gilded Age romance set in New York City. Daisy Swan is the ugly duckling of her family. Literally, thanks to Theodore Prescott the Third, who dubbed her so when they were young teens. Daisy is apparently not as pretty as her sisters and her mother and while she's conscious of this, she has bigger plans. She convinced her parents to let her go to Barnard College and she is studying chemistry with the intent to create face creams and cosmetics. Except, her mother and Theo's father have decided to threaten the two of them into getting engaged. Theo, a handsome, pretty playboy, is not happy about this. Daisy, who has PLANS, is not happy about this. However, they decide the easiest way to get the parents off their back is to become fake engaged. After spending time together, they realize they don't hate each other as much as they thought and soon Theo, who has a knack for marketing, is helping Daisy get her cosmetics business off the ground. This was an enjoyable story with fun characters.

The Luckiest Lady in London / Sherry Thomas / 276 pages

This is one of those books that the man and the woman don't ever express themselves and if they did, so much heartache could have been avoided. It seems somewhat trite, but it worked here. My only complaint is that I think when it comes to romances, I like my male leads to be nearly perfect. There were times when I wanted to slap the male romantic lead and thought the "luckiest" lady in that book would be better off with someone else.

Louisa is approaching spinsterhood when she is sponsored by a distant relative to be introduced in London as a debutante in circa 1885. She hopes to bag one of two possible matches, neither of whom she is romantically attracted to, but both with enough money to support her mom, her sisters (one of whom is epileptic) and herself. She doesn't want much, but she wants enough that she has a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. What she didn't count on was the most eligible bachelor in London making passes at her and asking her to be his mistress. Could she give up a respectable life and be a mistress to the best looking man in all of England in exchange for her every creature comfort taken care of, or will she turn him down to remain respectable in the eyes of society?

Glass Ocean / Beatrix Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White / 403 pages

The back story of this book is the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania during World War I.  It takes place in two time periods, in the present 2013 and in the past 1915.  Each author develops a different main female character.  Sarah Blake is an author researching a book on the sinking of the Lusitania.  Her great-grandfather was part of the crew on the ship.  Her research takes her to England.  Caroline Hochstetter is a southern belle married to a wealthy industrialist.  She and her husband on sailing to England on the Lusitania.  Tess Fairweather is traveling second class on the Lusitania to return to her family in England.  However, her real name is Tennessee Schaff and she is partnering up with her sister for one last heist.  I enjoyed following each character and seeing their lives piece together to tell the story.  I loved the historical backdrop of the Lusitania.

An Unconditional Freedom/ Alyssa Cole/ 320 pgs

I loved the first book in this Civil War historical romance series and this one does not disappoint either. Cole does such a good job of developing characters with interesting backgrounds and most of all, heart. Janeta is the daughter of a Cuban father and a black, former slave mother. Her father is rich and, after the death of his first wife, married Janeta's mother. Janeta was never allowed to see herself as black or as even remotely related to the slaves. When Union soldiers imprison her father (the family moved to Florida a few years ago) her Confederate boyfriend convinces her to spy for the South in order to win her father's freedom. Janeta infiltrates the Loyal League and is partnered with Daniel. Daniel grew up in Massachusetts a free black man. At one time he was studying to be a lawyer but he was tricked by some southerners and kidnapped into slavery. He suffered brutally, both physically and mentally, from this experience and does not have a good opinion of himself. As you can see, both Janeta and Daniel have a lot of issues to work through. This is, rightly, a slow burn romance but watching these two become friends and figure out who they are on the inside is a joy. There isn't much action in this story until the end, but I don't think you'll regret taking this journey with Janeta and Daniel.

The Bride Who Got Lucky/ Janna MacGregor/ 362 pgs

This is the second book in MacGregor's Cavensham Heiresses series. This is the tale of Emma, a duke's daughter, who does not want to marry, and Lord Somerton, a duke's son, who also has no interest in marriage. In Emma's case, she has good reason as she could only watch as her best friend married an abusive man and died at his hands. Emma strains against the restrictions placed on females and pushes those boundaries, but often suffers the consequences of her actions. In trying to achieve justice for her friend's death, she keeps running into Somerton, who as a boy was cruelly cut off by his father. He isolates himself, rarely taking part in social events and keeping his social circle small. This is an emotion packed story with very likable characters (not to mention I love that green cover, something you rarely see). The writing is excellent and the historical facts spot on.

A Duke in Shining Armor/ Loretta Chase/ 309 pgs

I loved some of Chase's older novels but haven't read a lot of her more recent ones. This one kicks off a new series with three dukes (of course) who are known as Their Dis-Graces for essentially being drunken high school pranksters--only they are all nearing 30. The Duke of Ashmont is set to marry Lady Olympia, a spectacle-wearing book lover. Both, however, drink more than they should to settle their nerves. Olympia runs away, pursued by Ashmont's friend the Duke of Ripley. During a series of slapstick events, Ripley and Olympia fall for each other. There was some Chase trademark witty banter between them but in the end the plot is thin and the characters didn't have enough time to really connect, not to mention grow up.

The Prince Who Loved Me / Karen Hawkins / 355 pgs / Historical Fiction

"Prince Alexsey Romanovin enjoys his carefree life, flirting—and more—with every lovely lady who crosses his path. But when the interfering Grand Duchess Natasha decides it's time for her grandson to wed, Alexsey finds himself in Scotland, determined to foil her plans. Brainy, bookish, and bespectacled, Bronwyn Murdoch seems the perfect answer—she isn't at all to the duchess' taste.

Living at the beck and call of her ambitious stepmother and social butterfly stepsisters, Bronwyn has little time for a handsome flirt—no matter how intoxicating his kisses are. After all, no spoiled, arrogant prince would be seriously interested in a firm-minded female like herself. So . . . wouldn't it be fun to turn his "game" upside down and prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees?"

I got this sweet, little romance in a swap, and I needed a break from serious reads and thoughts. The best short description of this I can give is Cinderella meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days plus your usual romance sexy times and set in Scotland. There were a few times I wanted to slap the prince (as you do), and I always need some suspension of disbelief because romances aren’t really realistic, but overall it was fun!

The Game and the Governess/ Kate Noble / 418 pgs

I really loved another of Kate Noble's books--Let It Be Me--but I felt the exact opposite about this one. The premise is this: an earl and his friend/secretary decide to trade places on a bet. The setup for this is too long and frankly, too immature. They visit and stay with a family in the country while working on a business deal. The family has a governess and she and the earl (who she knows as the secretary) begin a relationship. The problem with this story is that the supposed "hero" lies to the governess about who is for 93% of the book (according to my Kindle). Then, at the 97% mark, he and his friend/secretary tell her another lie. A romance where one character lies about his identity to another for almost the entire book does not work me, unfortunately.

A Kiss for Midwinter/ Courtney Milan/ 158 pgs

This is a short, just right holiday romance. Jonas is a conscientious doctor who regrets not speaking up early in his career. He's on the serious side and bears the burden of caring for his elderly, hoarder father. Lydia is a young lady "with a past," one that she thinks she's put behind her but truthfully she's just buried it beneath a mountain of cheerfulness. The author doesn't shy away from blunt dialogue between her characters, which worked here since Jonas is a doctor. Both characters were well drawn and their romance was sweet.

A Rogue by Any Other Name/ Sarah MacLean/ 386 pgs

I loved the heroine in this story but did not care for the hero at all. This is a revenge plot. Michael, Lord Bourn, lost all of his inheritance, money and land, on a card game when he was 21. Does he take personal responsibility for his choice to wager everything he had? No he does not. Not on page 1 and not on page 386 either. I kept reading, hoping he would do so, but nope. I also kept reading because initially the heroine was awesome. Penelope is a pawn in Michael's plan to revenge himself against the man who won everything he owned. She called the hero out on his behavior again and again. Still, he never owned up to his choices. Eventually she falls in love with him and then I just felt sorry for her. This was one story where the hero needed much, much more self-reflection than just the few pages at the end. On a positive note, the writing was good and Michael has three friends in need of stories:-)

The Forbidden Rose / Joanna Bourne / 392 pgs

Joanna Bourne is a fantastic writer. I read her first two books a few years ago and then somehow never got around to reading more. When I saw that she has a new book out, I decided to catch up on the older ones as they compromise a loose series that centers on English and French spies. This one is set during the Reign of Terror in France. Marguerite (Maggie) is the daughter of an aristocrat who's been forced out of her home by a mob. She's also much more than that. William Doyle is an English spy posing as a Frenchman who discovers Maggie hiding out. In a shaky alliance, they set out for Paris together. There's a road trip, much intrigue, a prison break, and a sneak peek at a young Adrian, who is the hero of the next Bourne book I plan to read. If you like your historical romances well-researched and richly written, I recommend this one.

Dukes Prefer Blondes/ Loretta Chase / 372 pgs

I loved some of Loretta Chase's earlier books but I haven't really been interested in her most recent  series. I think I read the first book and decided not to read any more. However, the premise of this one intrigued me. Clara is a duke's daughter, a very beautiful duke's daughter, who feels constrained by the way a lady is supposed to act. She feels she cannot ever be herself and she really just wants to live. She is also disillusioned with all the gentlemen who propose to her, despite not knowing anything about her. The hero is Oliver Radford who, in my opinion, is given the ridiculous nickname Raven. He freely admits that he's an obnoxious know-it-all but since he became a barrister, he's put all that arrogant intelligence to good use. It was a little difficult to like Oliver but I enjoyed the witty dialogue between him and Clara and the way he treated her with such respect. This essentially sums up the book for me. It was very uneven. First half was full of plot, sharp dialogue, mutual attraction. Second half, by which time Clara and Oliver are married, was slow and repetitive, and ended in a silly argument. Still, I couldn't help but enjoy Chase's writing. She is a master.

The Duke's Disaster/ Grace Burrowes / 439 pgs

Grace Burrowes has a lot of historical romance titles to her name but I've never read her books. I had one of her paperbacks lying around so I picked it up and started reading. About a half later I put it down, went to the library's OverDrive site and dowloaded the ebook to my Kindle:-)

Noah is the duke in question and he's not much for small talk and socializing so he decides to cut to the chase and ask Lady Thea, a down-on-her-luck earl's daughter turned companion to marry him. Thea agrees because she doesn't think she has any other prospects and Noah has agreed to provide a decent dowry and come-out for her younger sister. The marriage takes place straight away and off we go. Thea has a secret that she only tells Noah in dribs and drabs so things are rocky almost from the start. These two have problems communicating about the big things and that was frustrating. And yet, I found there everyday interactions adorable and enjoyed the rapport between them. Burrowes has a distinctive cadence to her writing, especially dialogue. It's at once refreshing and wearing, especially over the course of the book. Still, I enjoyed the story and just might give another of her books a try.

The Sport of Baronets/ Theresa Romain / 100 pgs

This is a novella that kicks off a new series about horse racing in Regency England. I like horses but racing, not so much. However, I like Romain's writing so I dove in. This book was far too short for me to believe in the romance. Ostensibly the two main characters have known each other all their lives, but I didn't get the impression they knew each other all that well as adults so when they went from first kiss to home run in the space of a few pages, it threw me for a loop. I liked both characters, but there just weren't enough pages for me to invest in their relationship.

Rogue with a brogue / Suzanne Enoch / 492 pages

  This is Book 2 of the Scandalous Highlanders series.  Because the succeeding books refer to the plot action in this book, it is good to read in order.  Basically, the second brother, Arran, falls for the daughter of an enemy clan.  It is like Hatfield's and McCoy's feud. The year is 1817.  Most of the book is about the escape from London back to Scotland and how the two come to fall in love.  It is really interesting.  Arran is a very good lead character.  My only complaint is that he drawls when he speaks and while this is not a problem in a book, I don't even want to imagine and hear it in my mind.  There are four books in the series so it is sadly coming to an end.  

The Study of Seduction/ Sabrina Jeffries / 357 pgs

This is easily one of the best historical romances I've read this year. I don't read Sabrina Jeffries all that often but heard this book had a story element I love--unbeknownst to the heroine, the hero has been attracted to her for some time. Edwin is an earl who's a bit grumpy (I love a grumpy hero!), doesn't have much of an inclination for all the social niceties, and is interested in making automatons. He has known social butterfly Clarissa for a few years through a friend/family connection. Clarissa thinks he's very stuffy and always criticizing her. They are thrown together when Clarissa's cousin, the head of their family, is called out of the country and he asks Edwin to watch over her. She needs watching over her because the acting French ambassador is stalking her. The reason for that was fairly obvious to me but that didn't detract from the story.

Clarissa has a traumatic secret in her past which, word of warning, is described in enough detail that it might upset some readers. I thought the portrayal of Clarissa post-trauma was really well done as was Edwin's handling of the revelation of that incident. While there are peripheral external subplots going on, this is truly a sweet romance between a curmudgeon and a resilient woman. Read it if you get the chance.

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid, Suzanne Enoch, 469 p

     This the third book of the series which I read out of order.  This series is better in order as it refers a lot to actions in book 2.  In this, it is the young sister (18) for the main character.  Previously, she had done the "season" in London and is now back in the highlands of Scotland where she must decide on a future husband.  Will it be Lachlan, her childhood crush?  or Will it be another Scottish Lord or (gasp) an Englishman?
     Hmm.  This being a romance novel rather than a mystery it is not too hard to guess.
The fun is in the getting there.  Of course, it ends just right.