Finally got back into reading today after a pretty long absence from it. I tried starting this book while on a family vacation at the beach, and it never really worked out. In the end I was only able to make it past the prologue before I set off with me friend on our roadtrip to California!
Anyways, about a month later I’m finally at that point where I’m ready to read again. I decided to start with one of the books my granny let me borrow (she reads romance too) since she knew I was going to be out of a job for a little while, and she wanted to lend me some books so I would have something to occupy my time.
This is my first time delving into a Sabrina Jeffries book, and my first time reading a romance novel that takes place in the mid 1600′s. My favorite eras to read about tend to be in either the Regency or Victorian era, with some later Georgian era books thrown in there as well, but so far the change in era isn’t bothering me. Jeffries’ writing is is very good as well, and I’ll try to report back later with a review once I’ve finished the novel.
Oh, 2016. The year that gave me a promising new life with one hand and ripped up what peace of mind I had left with the other. What better way to deal with such a confusing emotional state than to read a bunch of wonderful books, many about incredibly tough subjects? Arguably, there are many better ways, but I like reading.
20. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (2013)
Traumatized seventeen-year-old Leonard Peacock makes a plan to kill his former abuser and then himself, but first he needs to visit four people who are important to him and say goodbye (without, of course, letting them know he’s saying goodbye). Throughout the day, he’s caught between trying to talk himself out of his horrible goal and feeling he has no other option. This is an affecting, compulsively readable novel with experimental bits that really pay off (especially Leonard’s letters to himself from a semi-dystopian future).
19. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (2011)
After her mother’s untimely death, thirteen-year-old Ava Bigtree’s family falls apart, along with their Floridian gator-wrestling theme park. Her senile grandfather is sent to a nursing home, her brother runs away to another theme park, and her father departs for the mainland for an indefinite time, leaving Ava alone with her séance-obsessed older sister Osceola. Then Osceola elopes with a ghost, driving Ava to take a perilous journey into the swamp. At turns fanciful and brutal, this is a fascinating and spooky story about grief and how scary nature is.
18. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2015)
In 1740s London, withdrawn Eve Dinwoody is appointed by her half-brother to sort out the accounts of his investment, a pleasure garden owned by the boisterous middle-class Asa Makepeace. Eve and Asa are complete opposites who disagree about all matters financial, but they also have chemistry and actually turn out to care about each other’s problems. The family relationships in this romance are particularly strong, plus I liked that the aristocratic characters were so tangential to the story; it’s mostly a story about theatre people.
17. Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt (2016)
Alf is a messenger/informant by day, a masked vigilante by night, and, unbeknownst to everyone she’s met since early childhood, a woman. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is a widowed father of two bent on bringing down a ridiculously depraved secret society. When Alf gets beaten up while in his employ, Hugh persuades her to stay in his home for protection…which leads to some complicated feelings for Alf (and Hugh, once he realizes she’s not a teenage boy). Like Sweetest Scoundrel, this is a part of the Maiden Lane series, and it’s a fine installment: tightly plotted and prettily written, with a delightfully unusual heroine and a protective hero of the best type.
16. Silver Deceptions by Sabrina Jeffries (1994, revised for 2016 reissue)
During the height of the English Restoration, Annabelle Taylor takes to the London stage and purposefully cultivates a bad reputation with the goal of finding out and shaming the aristocratic father who abandoned her. Unfortunately, her discreet inquiries about his identity lead the king’s spies to think she has an anti-Royalist agenda. Colin Jeffreys, Lord Hampden, is sent to find out what her deal is, only to get caught up in something way more risky than a Roundhead plot (to his heart, anyway). This is easily the best Restoration romance I’ve read, with a beautifully realized setting, a fast-moving plot, and multilayered protagonists.
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (1938)
An unnamed narrator, young and awkward and alone in the world, marries the handsome, haunted Maxime de Winter after a whirlwind courtship in Monte Carlo. The problem is that she has trouble adjusting to being lady of the manor, plus he seems just shattered over the death of his beautiful, accomplished late wife…but is that what’s really going on? Kind of! I loved the weird, funny narrator, and the initial romance between her and Maxime is so sweet that its devolution once they get to Manderley hit me hard.
14. Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer (1957)
Sylvester Rayne, the Duke of Salford, does not want to marry Phoebe Marlow, the mousy granddaughter of his godmother…but he’s still miffed when she flees her father’s house in order to avoid marrying him. Then he finds out that she wrote a popular gothic novel whose hero bears a striking resemblance to him, and he’s really annoyed. This is a terrific comedy—the two unplanned road trips are particularly delightful. I also liked the heroine and how she comes into her own after years of being cowed by her stepmother.
13. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (2016)
Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery (and half-brother to Eve Dinwoody), is a bad, bad man. He blackmails his peers, tries to abduct heiresses (he’s not that great at it), and pretends that he’s done even worse. Bridget Crumb, his housekeeper, is working in his household in hopes of helping her mother. She has every reason to hate and fear him…but instead she thinks he’s full of shit but kind of likes him anyway. In turn, he’s intrigued by the fact that she has morals and wears a huge mobcap to hide her hair. This is a balls-out ludicrous romance novel in the best possible sense, with enough emotional pathos to keep me seriously invested.
12. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (2013)
Rose Justice, a young American flying planes for the British Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII, is captured by the Germans during a mission in France. Sent to Ravensbrück, she barely manages to survive the experience with the help of her fellow political prisoners and poetry. This book is less twist-driven than its companion Code Name Verity—the reader isn’t kept in much suspense about Rose’s eventual escape, let alone surprised with any revelation—but it has every good thing in common with the other novel: a complex and human narrator, a focus on women’s contributions to WWII, and a message of steely hope in the face of evil.
11. Crispin: The End of Time by Avi (2010)
In the third and final installment of the starkly beautiful medieval-set Crispin trilogy, thirteen-year-old Crispin finds himself bereft and unable to speak the language in war-torn France. He tries to get to Iceland, where everyone is free according to his late mentor, but he falls into bad company and has existential crises along the way. If you enjoy the most heart-shattering parts of A Song of Ice and Fire but wish the series had a smidge less violence and a lot less sex, this series might be for you! The ending is satisfying and holds the hope of hope, but good lord does it put you through the wringer.
10. The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries (2016)
When Lady Clarissa Lindsey finds herself being stalked by a sleazy French diplomat, family friend Lord Blakesborough agrees to help her out. They tend to clash—she’s gregarious and fun-loving, while he’s reserved to the point of stuffiness—but she wants the best for him, too, and tries to teach him how to talk to ladies so he can find a wife. Of course, everything goes wrong and they end up marrying each other for convenience…only it’s not so convenient, because they want to bang each other something fierce, plus they both have sad pasts they can’t talk about easily. A beautiful, hopeful romance with two extremely endearing protagonists.
9. A Scandalous Countess by Jo Beverley (2009)
Georgia, Lady Maybury, was the toast of society…until her beloved young husband was killed in a duel and everyone (wrongly) thought it was with her lover. Now she’s coming out of mourning, but someone has resurrected the most vicious rumors about her. She finds an unexpected ally in Lord Dracy, an awkward, badly scarred ex-naval officer who secretly wants to marry her for her money (at first). This novel is a glorious melodrama with an intriguing mystery and a wonderfully complex heroine.
8. Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan (2015)
Lady Judith Worth used to have everything, but then her father was exposed as a traitor and committed suicide. Now she can barely pay rent on her shabby London home and all her siblings are either missing or in distress, but she’s still loathe to accept help from Lord Ashford, an old friend whose investigations helped bring about her family’s ruin. His charm, willingness to assist her, and ready acknowledgment that she has a right to be angry make it a bit easier, though. Courtney Milan is a National Treasure, and this complex series debut, alternately hilarious and heartrending, is among her best.
7. Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
Emma Woodhouse, rich and pretty and beloved by most, tries to be a good person, but that turns out to be a confusing business. I was frequently irritated by this novel, but honestly that made me love it more. On several occasions, Emma actually shocked me with her bad judgment, callousness, and even malice. At the same time, I saw that she was genuinely trying to do the right thing, even though she was severely hampered by classism and a lack of self-awareness. The contrast and the questions it raises are fascinating.
6. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel (2014)
This gorgeously written, endlessly unnerving anthology includes “The School of English” (the heartbreaking, infuriating tale of a London housekeeper starting a new job), “How Shall I Know You?” (the story of a pitying, pitiable writer on a miserable book tour), and the title story (a snapshot of an alternate history). Every story has excellent style and atmosphere; Mantel has a particular talent for making the reader feel queasy and excited at the same time.
5. Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain (2016)
World-weary courtesan Charlotte Perry returns to her hometown in search of a stolen hoard, hoping that the reward will allow her to build a new life for herself and her “niece.” Lieutenant Benedict Frost, recently blinded and restless, travels to the same location in hopes of establishing a household where he can live with his younger sister. They should be adversaries…but perhaps they will not be? This was a nearly perfect romance; the central relationship was delicious, all the side characters were great, and the plot was very well-constructed.
4. The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith (2016)
After her brother’s best friend rapes her in her own bedroom, high school freshman Eden’s primary reaction is rage—not only at her rapist, but at the parents who overlook her, at the brother she’s sure wouldn’t believe her, and at herself for being quiet and trusting. Over the next few years, she builds a new identity for herself; unfortunately, it comes with self-destructive behavior and a tendency to push everyone away. This story is ultimately a hopeful one, but it’s a damn hard read. I cried like a tiny baby girl, and I often felt incredibly angry. Eden is a wonderful narrator, clear-eyed but still unable to extract herself from a morass of silence and self-punishment without help.
3. Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)
Five-year-old Jack has never left the room where he was born to his captive mother, or even learned that the outside world they see on television is real. All he knows is Room and Ma…until she tells him there’s a whole universe outside and shares her desperate escape plan. Room is an absolutely beautiful story, and it’s all the more wonderful because the characters are so individualized. Jack is a sweetheart, but he also does weird kid stuff, from the adorable (declaring broccoli his “enemy food”) to the dangerously inconvenient (getting angry at his mom when she tries to explain the outside world). Ma is even more complex, and it’s truly impressive how Donoghue can convey her anger, compassion, youthfulness, maturity, and everything else when she’s filtered entirely through her five-year-old son’s perspective. I also appreciated how much the novel is about recovery, with all its attendant joys and difficulties.
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)
In her classic first memoir, Angelou shares the story of her childhood in Arkansas and then California. I loved this book almost as much as its sequel Gather Together in My Name; it’s just as funny, heartbreaking, and sharply insightful. It can also be a much tougher read, due to the trauma she experiences in her childhood and the near-constant racism she faces, but her exploration of these issues just makes the book more powerful.
1. Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou (1974)
In this memoir, Angelou relates her experiences as a young woman in post-WWII California. She tries to care for her new baby, find a purpose in life, and look for someone to love, but she runs into many obstacles: bad boyfriends, racism, anti-Communist paranoia, an unfaithful dance partner, and an unplanned foray into running a brothel, just to name a few. Angelou’s second memoir is glorious, funny and poignant and righteously angry at turns. Even though my experiences are very different from hers, I related hard to her loneliness, lack of direction, and premature regret. The best book I read all year.
Finally I was able to finish a book after coming back from my roadtrip, and it felt really good to get back into reading again. I’d never read anything by Sabrina Jeffries until now, and her writing is honestly very good, but without further ado, let’s dive right into my thoughts, feelings, and rambles of...
While this book certainly had some ups and downs for me, the characters were as enjoyable as they usually tend to be in historical romance novels, although I don’t think they’re quite as memorable as some other characters that I’ve read in different books. The female characters are probably the best part of this tired spy trope of a book, and I only wish that their friendship would have been written about a little more.
The Heroine:
Our heroine is Annabelle Taylor, born a bastard, though her grandfather is a knight, and her real father is an earl unbeknownst to her. Her mother is forced to marry the abusive town squire when she is left with a child in her belly, and both Annabelle and her mother suffer from his hand. All of this eventually leads to Annabelle’s mother killing the squire in order to protect her daughter, though she is quickly hanged for her crimes, and from that day on Annabelle swears vengeance upon her real father. She goes to London with her maid and friend, Charity, and together they get her a job in the theater. Annabelle becomes a great actress, and pretends to be a wanton in order to draw her father out in hope to embarrass him-- this being her vengeance. From there our story is set up, and we begin to learn how Annabelle is as a person. She’s strong, smart, and resilient throughout the entire book, and Jeffries does a good job of making us feel for her plight, and the abuse and heartbreak that she has suffered.
The Hero:
Colin Jeffreys is our hero, and honestly he’s just your basic run of the mill romance novel love interest. He too is a bastard, though he was given the title of Marquess after serving as a spy in the army, and has now been requested to find out what Annabelle Taylor is up to by his friend, the Earl of Walcaster, whom he owes a favor to. The Earl has no idea that he fathered a child in his past, and Annabelle has no idea who her father is, besides that his last name is Maynard, leading to you guessed it, some misunderstandings! Let’s get back to Colin though who is kind of an Alpha hero, which I’m not really into, but he wasn’t so much of an alpha that I was rolling my eyes every time he spoke. He has some humility,and a soft protective side to him as well, but he certainly is not one of my favorite heroes, and probably not one I will remember in the years down the line
Side Characters:
There are a couple of male characters that are honestly really forgettable, though Jeffries actually based quite a few on real, historical people, most notably being King Charles II. The female characters are the ones that really shine in this story though, and that would be Charity, the friend and maid who isn’t afraid to speak her mind or state her opinion when she thinks Annabelle needs to hear it. There is also Aphra, who was also a real woman in history. Aphra is Colins friend, an ex spy as well, though she now has hopes to be a playwright of her own one day. She is a cooky writer, with zero fear about speaking her mind when need be. There is another woman by the name of Mina who is only in the book for a very short time, and I think it’s mostly because she comes from another story the author as written.
Final Thoughts:
Really can’t move on without getting this off my chest, but there was a part that annoyed me so much in this book, and I just need to complain about it for a minute. As our hero and heroine finally begin to do the dirty, they both find out that they were once bastards, and how they want to try their very hardest to keep from making any bastards of their own. Annabelle has remained a virgin this whole time for that very reason, and Colin carries around ye old condoms for said reason as well.
To set up the reason I was so annoyed, being a bastard has been Annabelle’s entire reason for only pretending to be a wanton. She goes to the lengths of drugging a man so she doesn’t have to sleep with him, and the man is such an idiot that he believes he doesn’t remember what had taken place the night before, but spreads around the town what a mighty good time he’d had with the actress, which is just fine with Annabelle since she’s trying to have a terrible reputation to embarrass whoever her real father is. The fact that she does not want to get pregnant is mentioned several times before we get to this point in the book.
Now, they decide they wanna do the dirty, but Colin admits that he had forgotten to bring the french letters with him, though he assures her there are other ways to find pleasure without intercourse. Honestly, this was really refreshing at first, and we get a nice oral scene for our heroine. However our heroine becomes so overtaken by lust and the desire to give our hero the same pleasure that he just afforded her, that she forgets everything she had said about not wanting bastards in the chapters prior, and begs him to take her, which of course he does. This part of the book honestly annoyed me so much, and took me out of the story a little bit too. I understand romance novels are all about a female’s pleasure, and I love that, but there are some women that do enjoy giving oral sex, and there is nothing wrong with a blowjob scene from time to time. Honestly I feel like that would have made the book flow a little better, and it would have been so much more refreshing than what we were given. They could have had sex another time, when Colin could get his hands on his 1600′s condoms again. I know I can’t fault the book too much, because I think it was written a while ago, but I couldn’t help but feel annoyed after reading that.
Other than that I found the book to be good. Good but not great, and it certainly isn’t one of my favorites. If you’re into the 1600′s, spies, and the regular tropes that goes with a historical romance novel, then this one is probably for you.
Disclaimers: Here, “Stuart,” straightforwardly enough, means the years covering the Stuart dynasty in Great Britain (1603-1714). This is going to be one of the least “ish” lists, partly because it’s chronologically exactly what is says on the tin (give or take an Interregnum) and partly because the romance novels I’ve read that set during this time are even more centered on England and its colonies than usual.
1. Silver Deceptions by Sabrina Jeffries (2015 revision of novel originally published in 1994 under the name Deborah Martin)
Exact Setting: 1660s London, a few years into the Restoration.
Premise: In a rather convoluted scheme to get revenge on her now-straitlaced biological father for seducing and abandoning her late mother, Annabelle Taylor becomes an actress with the moniker “The Silver Swan” and cultivates a scandalous reputation. For reasons too complicated to get into here, her personal quest accidentally makes her look like an anti-Royalist spy. Colin Jeffreys, the earl of Hampden and a spy himself, is assigned to figure out what the hell her deal is.
Why I Like It: Annabelle and Colin are both clever, extremely resourceful people--who somehow completely misread each other’s intentions for much of the story. This is often a recipe for annoyance in a romance novel, but, in this one, their mistakes produce delicious dramatic (and, occasionally, comic) tension. It helps that they never truly dislike each other for appearing to be a Roundhead spy and a garden-variety horndog, respectively; unraveling the misunderstandings is simply part of their growing intimacy. I also enjoyed how unnecessarily complicated Annabelle’s revenge plot is. Some readers object to it, but I think it’s a perfect reflection of how messy Annabelle’s actual motivations are. Finally, the vibrant, nasty world of the Restoration theater is also a really fun setting.
Favorite Part: The early reveal of how Annabelle maintains her (rather inflated) reputation.
2. The Maiden of Ireland by Susan Wiggs (2014 revision of novel originally published in 1993, under the title The Mist and the Magic)
Exact Setting: 1650s Ireland and England, during the time of the Commonwealth of England.
Premise: John Wesley Hawkins, Catholic spy, is saved last-minute from the gallows by Oliver Cromwell...who promptly reveals that he has John’s baby daughter in his possession and blackmails him into spying on Caitlin MacBride, a beleaguered female Irish chieftain.
Why I Like It: Although several 1990s romance novelists pushed against the rigid gender roles that characterized many 1970s and 1980s romances, few did so with the confidence and naturalness of Susan Wiggs in this story. Caitlin, a leader and warrior with a sexual history who carries the survival of an entire community on her back, has a lot in common with many romance heroes, while John, a relatively powerless character who’s forced into a morally dubious position and motivated largely by parental, occupies a space shared by many romance heroines. Yet Wiggs doesn’t nervously assure the reader that powerful women can be attractive, or that a man isn’t less masculine for caring about his child; instead, she trusts the reader to accept these two complicated, sympathetic characters on their own terms. The story is packed with surprises, and I appreciated the coverage of the often-ignored Interregnum.
Favorite Part: John learns the true identity of the mysterious warrior fighting for Caitlin’s people.
3. The Silver Rose by Jane Feather (1997)
Exact Setting: The fens of England in the 1700s, during the reign of Queen Anne.
Premise: The Hawksmoors and the Ravenspeares have been sworn enemies for decades, but ex-soldier Simon, Lord Hawksmoor, has seen enough of bloodshed. He proposes a solution to Queen Anne: a marriage between himself and Lady Ariel Ravenspeare. Ariel’s older brothers agree that this is a swell idea, but only because they fully intend to murder Simon after the wedding and claim all his stuff through their sister. Ariel’s accustomed to being exploited by the people who should protect her and is working on her own escape plan, but she’s loath to see idealistic, physically disabled Simon fall prey to her corrupt family.
Why I Like It: As I mentioned in my medieval list, one of my favorite romance tropes is the couple who are pitted against each other, but instead grow to care for each other and join forces. This novel is a particularly lurid example; Ariel’s brothers and ex-lover are straight-up trying to do a slow-motion Red Wedding on Simon. Their depravity only highlights the tenderness and respect that develop between the protagonists, though. I adore Ariel, a world-weary woman who kind of thinks she’s a garbage can but is always metaphorically running into heavy traffic to protect women (and Simon). Simon...eventually deserves her. (It takes him way too long to fathom why a woman whose evil, peasant-hunting brothers use her at every turn may have a few trust issues re: a dude who manipulated her into a betrothal, no matter how noble his motives.) There are also some spooky witch shenanigans, which I greatly enjoyed.
Favorite Part: Ariel’s brothers try to humiliate Simon over his twisted leg during a betrothal party, only to be foiled by Ariel’s protective streak and Simon’s calm contempt for their gross selves.
4. Libertine’s Kiss by Judith James (2010)
Exact Setting: 1650s-1660s England, beginning during the Commonwealth of England and ending during the Restoration.
Premise: Cavalier spy William de Veres, Lord Rivers, seeks shelter with his childhood friend Elizabeth Walters while fleeing from Oliver Cromwell’s men. He escapes detection, but she gets caught aiding him and is stripped of all her assets. A few years later, Charles II is back in power, William is a celebrated satirical poet, and Elizabeth is an impoverished widow seeking assistance from the monarch whose cause led to her downfall. William sees her at court and vows to help her in any way he can.
Why I Like It: This is one of the strangest, saddest romance novels I’ve ever read. That’s a big part of why I love it, but it’s also a big part of why it doesn’t 100% work. William is clearly based on John Wilmot, Lord Rochester, the Restoration poet who did a bunch of messed-up stuff and is widely believed to have died of syphilis at the age of thirty-three; he even “writes” some of Rochester’s actual poetry, which I think is a dubious authorial decision. Although William does not have syphilis or kidnap his future wife (as Rochester did), he is a wormwood-bitter alcoholic who is absolutely consumed by childhood trauma. I like him, but I have a hard time believing that Elizabeth’s love and his exhaustion with himself are sufficient to build a successful marriage. Still, he makes the decision to leave his old life and follow her to the country, and I really hope it works out for them. Maybe the miracle of the novel is that his cynicism is never directed at Elizabeth. He doesn’t have an overly idealized view of her, but he fully recognizes her as a sensible, kindhearted person who has always been a friend to him. Um...on a lighter note, I like the references to The Faerie Queene, plus there are some bitchin’ food descriptions.
Favorite Part: Honestly, the food descriptions. I’m a simple woman.
5. Forevermore by Lauren Royal (2001)
Exact Setting: 1660s England, a few years into the Restoration.
Premise: Sir Cameron Leslie, a newly minted Scottish baronet in his twenties, meets Clarice Bradshaw, a cautious thirty-something widow with an adopted child, at a family wedding.
Why I Like It: This novella is as low-conflict and simple as they come. Cameron is a sweet and unpretentious dude who can appreciate a resilient older woman. Clarice is learning to enjoy life and bonding with her toddler daughter after a bad first marriage and some peril related to the Great Fire of 1666. They hang out together, sometimes with the cute kid and sometimes alone (sexily). There’s some unexpectedly deep reflection on the legacy of the English Civil War. It’s all good.
Favorite Part: The unexpectedly deep reflection on the legacy of the English Civil War.
