Maggie Mooha’s IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – Two Scarred People Find Love in the Crimean War

Set in the mid 19^th century, this is the story of Eleanor Sherbrook whose beauty is marred by a red birthmark that covers half her face. She does not expect men to see her as marriage material. The balls in London have taught her that much. But she is no shrinking vine. When her sister Julia steals the man she loves, Lieutenant Joshua Wentworth, Eleanor decides to serve with Miss Nightingale as a nurse for the wounded soldiers fighting Russia in the Crimean War. She travels to the British Army hospital in Scutari, Turkey where conditions are less than ideal. Coincidentally, this is near where Joshua is serving in the Light Brigade.

 

In the war, Eleanor and Joshua are thrown together, and often find solace in each other’s company. Joshua is wounded, losing an eye and, ironically, ends up with half his face scarred. Eleanor will nurse him to health. Meanwhile, her sister Julia begins a relationship with another man in London and seemingly cares nothing for what her fiancé is facing in the horrible war.

 

I should say at the outset the writing is excellent with many exciting scenes. Even though I knew where the story was going and could see the outcome, I kept reading. Eleanor’s trials as a battlefield nurse were intriguing and Joshua is a fitting hero who is Eleanor’s perfect match. Both are courageous. The historical events are well recorded. There’s lots of blood, guts and gore and much medical description that make the story realistic. The only thing that bothered me was Joshua’s continual reference to himself in his thinking as “Wentworth” as though he was speaking of another person but this was not a great matter.

 

For those who love deep historicals, this is a worthy story.

 

 

Victoria Sportelli’s THE SONGBIRD OF VENICE – Unique writing style with excellent depth of research into 18th century Venice

 

The story begins in Venice in 1723 where a young woman named Grazia (“Grace” in English) is doing well at the orphanage she grew up in run by nuns. Yet she yearns for another life, one that will give her a family. Her beauty and her voice captivate all who encounter her and people flock to the convent to hear her sing.

 

Nobleman Antonio Delatesta, a widower with a young daughter, needs a wife to give him an heir. Antonio’s daughter loves Grazia who tutors her in music. Venetian law forbids marriage between a nobleman and a commoner, but is she really a commoner? And once united, will she be accepted by Venice’s elite? And, will she have Antonio’s love?

 

I found this story difficult to get into as it’s written from the first person in short phrases and sentences. Sometimes I couldn’t tell who was speaking. But I pressed on and gained a fondness for the story and its rich portrait of Venice’s society at the time. Grazia has a good heart and brings her talents to the Delatesta household at a difficult time for the upper class families—all to the good.

 

If you are patient, I think you will find much to commend this story.

 

 

 

Jennifer Horsman’s FOREVER AND A LIFETIME: Handsome Swiss Hero, Strong Heroine and a Great Story!

 

This is a wonderful story. This one by Horsman, a favorite author of mine, has an amazingly complex plot set in an interesting time in history with well-developed characters, sexy love scenes and a hero, who is very virile, and at times a cad. This one also features the usual cats, vegetarians and mystical aspects that seem to characterize her romances.  

 

Set in Switzerland in the late 15^th century when the country was a loose confederation of independent small states called cantons, it tells about the time of Charles the Bold, Lord of Lucerne, who came to power in 1467. He is seeking to grow in power, but Bern sees this as a threat. In this story, our heroine, Lady Nichole Lucretia, Charles’ sister and a great healer, is being forced by her brother to marry the Duke of Uri to gain Charles another army. Nichole judges the duke to be an unjust and cruel man, and loving her people and being a headstrong and intelligent young woman, she refuses.

 

Charles imprisons her in an abbey to pressure her into complying but she isn’t there long when Jonpaul the Terrible abducts her. Jonpaul is the hero of the Burgundy War, the leader of the Basel Alliance—and their enemy. The Alliance wants to thwart Charles’ plans and they know defeating Nichole’s marriage will further their goal for peace. Jonpaul takes Nichole to his castle where she tries to resist the man even as she seeks escape. Theirs is a relationship of great passion and great conflict, as two strong personalities come together.

 

What I like about Horsman’s stories is that they are richly detailed and give me that intense feeling that keeps me turning pages. I like her strong heroines, too (none of those whiny females!).

 

There is great history, great passion and great deception—deception that is believable when it comes from someone you love.  I highly recommend it.

Karen Robards’ GREEN EYES – A Mystery Surrounding Emeralds and Love on a Ceylon Tea Plantation!

Green Eyes is set in 1832, the story of Anna Traverne, who is left penniless after her husband dies in Ceylon where they had a tea plantation. Now she and her 5-year-old daughter are at the mercy of her husband’s brother, Graham, who, though married, wants Anna in his bed. She resists and is hiding away in the study one night when a man breaks in and tries to steal the Queen’s emeralds, a set of family jewels that was hidden away in a secret compartment.

 

It turns out the housebreaker is none other than Graham’s half brother, Julian Chase, spurned by the family but who may, in fact, be the true heir. In a tussle, Julian flees and ends up in Newgate prison. Anna realizes Julian has left the emeralds and they are her ticket to a new life. She takes her daughter to Ceylon where Julian pursues her. Not only does he now need the emeralds that were once his mother’s but he has been told the emeralds hold the key to his heritage.

 

Robards is a great storyteller and I was immediately drawn into Anna’s life. Bold, brash Julian has been wronged. Understandably he is an angry man and he means to take out his frustration on Anna. Loved them both.

 

It’s a bit of a mystery and an exciting read with a nasty villain in Graham and some delightful secondary characters, including the former prostitute who is Anna’s friend, and Julian’s sidekick, a man whose life he once saved. There’s also a bit of Ceylon’s darker atmosphere thrown in, too.

Alice Borchardt’s DEVOTED –A Worthy Romance Set in 10th Century France

 

At the time when Vikings were a threat to all in France, Owen, the young Bishop of Chantalon, rises as a hero of the people. At his side is the brave Elin who he freed from the Vikings’ clutches. This is a fascinating historical that features authentic elements as well as genuine faith, mysticism, mystery and magic. The descriptions are vivid, the characters well developed and the story compelling.

 
Elin becomes Owen's lady and would defend him and his city though it will cost her much. Their budding love comes to a sudden end when Owen is captured, leaving the defense of the city to Elin and Godwin, a warrior who stands by her side.

 

Owen represents the growing Christianity even as the brutal Northmen rape and pillage, led by the villain Hakon. The Forest People who worship pagan gods are disappearing but they come to Owen’s aid when Elin summons them, for she was raised among them, a princess of her people.

I enjoyed this story as it has great depth and I wanted to know what happened to all the characters who come to Elin and Owen’s aid. The author has captured the different factions in France at the time and the emerging future while bringing us a winning love story.

 

The sequel is Beguiled.

Victoria Holt’s THE DEMON LOVER – Gripping Story of a Tumultuous Love Set in England and France

Just so you know, this is not your ordinary Victoria Holt gothic murder mystery. Set mostly in France in the late Victorian period, this tells the story of Kate Collison, of the famous (fictional) Collison family of brilliant painters of miniatures, each artist signing the portraits “KC.” In each generation, the next son takes up the art to astound patrons in England and in Europe. Unfortunately, Kate’s mother, the daughter of a duke, gave Kate’s father, Kendal Collison, only a daughter. But Kate was determined to become better than any son of the family who had gone before her.

 

When her father develops cataracts and his ability to paint the fine strokes diminishes, she becomes his eyes. Signing the portraits “KC,” as all in her family have, no one knows a woman has painted them. A new commission arrives from a baron in Normandy who wants miniatures of himself and his fiancée, a princess. So, Kate and her father travel to France, intending to do the miniatures together. At the baron’s castle, before he arrives, Kate begins to fall in love with the baron’s cousin Bertrand de Mortemer. And then she meets the Baron, Rollo de Centeville, who by his own description is “arrogant, overbearing, impatient and self-willed.” In addition to that, he is clever, soon figuring out that the miniature he comes to admire is being painted by Kate, not her father. He also intends to have his way with Kate, no matter the cost to her.

 

An ingenious, intricately woven plot that had me turning pages, it tells the story of a selfish man who, like his Viking forbears, thought nothing of raping a woman to get what he wanted. And so he drugs and rapes Kate and then holds her prisoner for the purpose of reminding Bertrand that he, the baron, is in control. I must say that I had a bit of trouble understanding how Kate, having gone home to England, could return to France after what happened to her, or how she could keep from those who loved her that she’d been brutally raped by the man they admired. Nor could I understand how the Baron’s mistress, Nicole, would, after being cast aside by the Baron, try to convince Kate she should be more understanding of him. But such are the twists and turns in this story.

 

I loved Kate’s spirit, her determination and her strength. And I thought the way Holt showed how the artist gleaned the nuances of the subject’s personality while painting was masterful.

 

As in all bodice rippers, there is a certain satisfaction is seeing the Baron have his comeuppance, though even then, one can certainly agree with the hatred Kate feels for the man who ruined, as well as benefited, her life. Unlike some of her stories, Holt brings the heroine’s feelings about the “hero” (sometimes the baron seemed more the villain) to the fore early on, and that was good.

 

Holt does a brilliant job of showing us what the people of Paris lived through in the 1870 siege of the city by the Prussians when the people were starved into submission.

Like her other novels, it is told in the first person. A well-written bodice ripper, it does contain rape; and while there are no details or vivid descriptions, the fact of it is no less horrible.

 

There’s a surprise ending awaiting you. The story is a keeper. I recommend it.

 

Elizabeth Chadwick’s– Forbidden Love in Jerusalem in the time of the Templars!

This story shifts from William Marshall (The Greatest Knight) as a knight in the Holy Land to his pilgrimage to Jerusalem to lay the young King Henry’s cloak on the sepulcher to his dying days in England. Along the way, in Constantinople, William and his brother, Ancel, encounter evil men who believe them to be spies for Rome.

 

In Jerusalem, they become embroiled in the politics of the ancient city while helping King Baldwin who is suffering from leprosy. It is there William encounters the dangerous Pascia de Riveri, the concubine of the highest churchman in the land. William pursues an affair with Pascia, hoping to keep it secret. Once discovered, their lives are in danger. Their only chance to see home again will depend upon the Templars who protect them and the two silk shrouds William has purchased for his eventual death.

 

As with all Chadwick’s books, she takes you into the time and place with vivid descriptions, meticulous research and her gift for painting a scene. Having read all her William Marshall stories save this one (book 6), I was surprised that Marshall was so weak in the face of rejection by a woman who was already compromised. But Chadwick did a good job bringing their emotions to the fore.

 

The story will draw you in. The flashbacks to the Holy Land are what make it enjoyable. To realize he is seeing it again in his mind as he lay on his deathbed made it a bit sad. Still, a good one to add to the collection. All her books shine with excellence.

 

Anita Mills; LADY OF FIRE - A Keeper of a Medieval Romance set in Normandy!

 

This is one for the keeper shelf. I loved it. Set in 11th century Normandy and England, this is the story of Eleanor of Nantes, daughter of a Norman count. She is young and innocent, but oh, so courageous and spirited.

 

When King William first encounters her, she is defending her bastard half-brother, Roger FitzGilbert, fighting off the bullies who are after him. The king is taken with the 12-year-old girl and would betroth her to his own son, Henry. But fate takes a harsh turn upon her mother’s death and Eleanor is sent to a convent. All the while, another man swears he will have her for his wife, the rich, powerful and cruel Robert of Belesme. However, Eleanor's heart belongs to Roger, who unknown to her, is not her brother at all which she discovers at 19 when she leaves the convent to be betrothed to Belesme.

Eleanor is a heroine to admire, consistent in her strength, intelligence and nobility of character. Roger is the kind of knight every woman longs for. He sees all Eleanor’s faults and loves her passionately and proudly, notwithstanding. Robert of Belesme, the villain who is obsessed with Eleanor, is terrible and cruel yet also strangely sympathetic (kudos to Mills to create such a complex character). The story is rich in historic details with an intricately woven plot, fast-moving dialog and suspenseful action.

It’s a page-turner and so well written. I recommend it!

The Fire Series:

Lady of Fire
Fire and Steel
Hearts of Fire
The Fire and The Fury
Winter Roses

 

Lisa Ann Verge’s HEAVEN IN HIS ARMS – Fur Trapper Love in the French Canadian Wilderness

The story begins in Paris in 1670 where Genevieve Lalande, an orphan and illegitimate daughter of a courtesan, struggles to survive. Desperate for a new life, she trades identities with a woman who is among those chosen to be brides for the settlers in the new French colony of Quebec.

A fur trader in the Canadian wilderness, Andre Lefebvre is not happy to learn he must wed in order to keep his license. Given a choice of women, he selects the pale, sickly Genevieve, believing she can't possibly live. But he is wrong. She gets well. When she realizes he married her hoping she would die, she follows him into the wilderness demanding he treat her as a wife. Despite the temptation of her beauty, Andre doesn’t want to consummate the marriage because he plans to annul it.

The story reflects the author’s considerable research into the era and the locations. The descriptions of the unusual setting are vivid. Rides over the rapids and portaging through the wilderness on the way to Chequamegon Bay, an inlet on Lake Superior, are exciting.

 

Andre was concerned about a woman’s ability to handle the difficulties but Genny matches them for endurance and cleverness at every turn, winning Andre’s respect (and his lust, of course). The dialog is often witty and the love scenes are graphic (and there are many).

Anita Mills’ FALLING STARS – Beware Handsome, Mysterious Russians Offering Jewels

 

Mills serves up an unusual story that sweeps the heroine from the ballrooms of London to the grand palaces of Russia. The story begins in London in 1814 where Katherine (“Kate”) Winstead, and her younger sister Carissa, are enjoying the London Season with their brother, Harry, Baron Winstead. [Usually the title and surname are not the same but here they are.] Harry’s best friend is Bellamy (“Bell”), Viscount Townsend, a rake of the first order with the face of an angel. He and Kate constantly exchange barbs and unpleasant truths about each other.

 

By all accounts, Kate is both short (5 feet tall) and plain, and at 22 “on the shelf”, yet when the Russians come to town with young Czar Alexander, all that changes. For some reason known only to his sister Galena and him, handsome Count Alexei Volsky takes a fancy to Katherine and quickly offers for her. Now why would a handsome Russian count do that? Why, indeed. To have such an offer as a plain girl is unheard of and Katherine does not fail to accept, particularly when the count’s sister, Galena, tells Kate the huge betrothal ruby on her finger proves Alexei loves her.

 

I thought Mills did this part especially well, preserving the mystery as the wool is pulled over Kate’s eyes. Ah, but no reader will fail to wonder just what’s going on.

 

Meanwhile, Viscount Townsend must escape a woman in London who has set a trap for him, so he decides to go to Russia when Kate and the Russian entourage leave town. And the plot thickens.

 

Russia is a very foreign place to Kate: the language, the people and the customs. She feels trapped inside Alexei’s huge estate as the snows pile up outside. There, she learns she is pregnant and is thrilled—until she discovers, to her horror, her marriage is a sham and underneath it all is a horrible truth. Kate decides (reasonably so) to flee Russia in winter. And who should come to her rescue but Bell, Viscount Townsend.

 

This is an unusual, well-told tale that kept me turning pages. Mills did very well with the Russian culture and scenes in and around Moscow in the winter. I felt the cold and lamented the loss of green England along with Kate. You must be patient to see the hero as an actual hero (though there are earlier hints) but he does come around in the end.

Caroline Warfield’s THE PRICE OF GLORY – Modern Woman on a Medical Mission in 19th century Egypt Resists Love

August is Exotic Locales month on Historical Romance Review and I’m beginning with a wonderfully exotic location…Egypt!

 

Set in Cairo in 1839, this is the story of Richard Mallet, who comes to Egypt hoping to unravel the secrets of the ancient Kushite language. Having obtained a license to dig, he sets out for Meroë, where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet. Analiese Cloutier, daughter of a medical minister, also comes to Cairo. She’s on a medical mission to vaccinate the people of Khartoum against smallpox, especially the women and children. Caught up in a hostile culture where life is cheap, she and her women healers are soon in danger.

 

Neither Ana nor Richard expects to be drawn into a romance but they are. Ana is a very modern woman, headstrong and independent who will have her way in all things. She has no intention of marrying which will destroy her healer career. Frankly, for nearly all of the book, she appears to have little interest in Richard Mallet. She has manipulated her father and an evil bey, who covets her, into allowing her to go on this dangerous mission. All will soon blow up in her face with treachery, poisoning and violence. Richard, too, is in danger and must claim Ana as his if they are to defeat the evil bey’s plans and survive.

 

The author has done considerable research to bring many historical details of the period to life as well as the lot of a woman who wants a medical career. There are foreign terms and place names that may throw you at first as the story is slow to develop but, half way through, it becomes exciting as the region explodes with anti-European violence and Ana and Richard must use their wits to escape. While Richard appears to care for Ana, any feelings on her part come late. I loved his uncle the duke whose character came through on the page. Richard’s guide and Ana’s maid also add richness to the story.

 

Historically accurate, with a great Author’s Note at the end, this brings the reader into Egypt at time of great upheaval which makes for some exciting scenes. Readers looking for a new adventure will relish diving in.

 

Dawn Knox’s THE DUCHESS OF SYDNEY – Historical Romance set in Sydney, Australia

Set in Sydney, New South Wales, beginning in 1790, this is the story of Georgiana who is being transported to the penal colony with other prisoners. She accepted guilt for a theft she didn’t commit to protect her mother.

 

Aboard the transport ship, the Lady Amelia, she meets Lieutenant Francis Brooks, the government agent who was asked by her uncle to protect her. As Francis has a past he wants to overcome, he is eager to accommodate his “sea-wife”, which gains her better quarters and the disdain of the other women. But her kindness earns her the nickname “Duchess”.

 

Despite their mutual distrust, the attraction between Georgiana and Francis grows. When they decide they are in love (which I confess came rather suddenly), they discover they are related and cannot marry.

 

The writing is very good and the story moves along at a good clip. The author does a great job of presenting the hardships the convicts faced in the new land. Many, like Georgiana, went on to make good citizens and build meaningful lives. In the end, the author gives us hope.

 

 

Karen Robards’ GREEN EYES – A Mystery Surrounding Emeralds and Love on a Ceylon Tea Plantation!

Green Eyes is set in 1832, the story of Anna Traverne, who is left penniless after her husband dies in Ceylon where they had a tea plantation. Now she and her 5-year-old daughter are at the mercy of her husband’s brother, Graham, who, though married, wants Anna in his bed. She resists and is hiding away in the study one night when a man breaks in and tries to steal the Queen’s emeralds, a set of family jewels that was hidden away in a secret compartment.

 

It turns out the housebreaker is none other than Graham’s half brother, Julian Chase, spurned by the family but who may, in fact, be the true heir. In a tussle, Julian flees and ends up in Newgate prison. Anna realizes Julian has left the emeralds and they are her ticket to a new life. She takes her daughter to Ceylon where Julian pursues her. Not only does he now need the emeralds that were once his mother’s but he has been told the emeralds hold the key to his heritage.

 

Robards is a great storyteller and I was immediately drawn into Anna’s life. Bold, brash Julian has been wronged. Understandably he is an angry man and he means to take out his frustration on Anna. Loved them both.

 

It’s a bit of a mystery and an exciting read with a nasty villain in Graham and some delightful secondary characters, including the former prostitute who is Anna’s friend, and Julian’s sidekick, a man whose life he once saved. There’s also a bit of Ceylon’s darker atmosphere thrown in, too.

 

Victoria Holt’s THE INDIA FAN – Sweeping Victorian Tale of Adventure and Love in France and India

This is the story of Drusilla Delaney, daughter of a rector living in England in the mid 19^th century. Near Drusilla’s home was the elaborate Framling estate, or as she thought of it, “the big house”. The Framlings were an old wealthy family tied to the East India Company and they were significant in Drusilla’s life.

 

We meet Drusilla as a young girl when she is taken to the big house to be the playmate of the spoiled but beautiful Lavinia Framling. Drusilla had previously encountered Lavinia’s brother Fabian, who kidnapped her when she was only two because he wanted to “play at being a father” and needed a child. Ever there after, Drusilla was fascinated not only by the big house and its secrets but also by Fabian. And because of that she would tolerate Lavinia.

 

In the big house lives Aunt Lucille who once lived and loved in India and who possesses a fan made of peacock feathers. Drusilla wonders at the tears shed by Aunt Lucille whenever she reads her old letters from her lost love. And Drusilla wonders about the fan, until one day Aunt Lucille tells her it is cursed and brings tragedy to one who has possessed it, which thanks to one of Fabian’s games, Drusilla has done.

 

Because of her early relationship with Lavinia, Drusilla is swept off to France and later to India where she experiences the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a perilous time for Drusilla and those she has come to care about. It seems she cannot escape the evil magic of the peacock fan nor the Framlings, for good or for bad. There are three men in Drusilla’s life and whether she will end up with any of them is kept in doubt for much of the story. There are no love scenes in this well-told tale but there is much emotion.

 

While I don’t generally prefer stories told in first person, there are exceptions, and Victoria Holt’s wonderful stories are among them. Superbly written, it tells a tale of mystery and intrigue, of a young girl’s strengths and insecurities, and her distant father who is more interested in Greek mythology than her. Interestingly, Holt rarely describes what anyone is wearing (the only clothing of her father we know of are his spectacles). She describes faces, most often expressions, that reflect the person’s character—and she does that very well. Drusilla is very perceptive, sensing others’ thinking long before those thoughts are reflected in their actions. So, while we are not in anyone else’s head, we have an idea of their thoughts.

 

The saga covers many years and is based on meticulous research. It is very well done, the only exception perhaps being that the romance between Drusilla and Fabian that was a bit understated until the very end. I recommend it!

Joanna Bourne’s THE FORBIDDEN ROSE – Superb Prequel to the Spymaster Series set in France!

For those who haven't yet read The Spymaster's Lady or My Lord and Spymaster, this book comes first in time—a kind of “prequel”—though it was written later. It’s the story of how Doyle and Maggie met.

 

Set in 1794 in France, it's a tale of English spies and French undercover work transporting royalists out of France during the time of the French Revolution and Robespierre.

 

Marguerite is a wonderful young woman who, though raised as an aristocrat, has adapted to the times and is now doing important work that has her wearing many faces. British agent Doyle is after her father who he believes has provided names of English to be murdered by those in control of France. When Doyle realizes he has taken the man's daughter, he keeps her, hoping she'll lead him to her father.

 

Doyle has never allowed himself to get involved with a woman in the field. Ah, but Marguerite de Fleurignac aka Maggie is no ordinary woman! He gets aroused just looking at her and he admires her intelligence and fierce determination.

 

In this story, Bourne gives us another strong heroine and another drool-worthy hero. The Doyle who is in the background in the other books in the Spymaster series is now on center stage. The dialog is very witty and at times very humorous. Bourne has mastered the art of suspense and her language is very colorful and fits well the era.

 

Meticulously researched, as always, Bourne delivers up a detailed, well-told tale. I recommend reading all in the series. Just read this one first!

 

The Spymaster Series in the order I recommend reading them:

 

The Forbidden Rose (France 1794)

The Spymaster’s Lady (France and England 1802)

Rogue Spy (England, 1802)

My Lord And Spymaster (London 1811)

The Black Hawk (Paris, beginning in 1794, flashbacks to 1797 and 1802, and London 1818)

 

 

Jennifer Blake’s NOTORIOUS ANGEL – Unusual and Exciting Story Set in Nicaragua

This story is set in the exotic locale of Nicaragua, Central America during the years 1855-1857. It tells of Eleanora Colette Villars from an aristocratic New Orleans family. Because of her brother’s folly, she loses her home and ends up following her brother to Nicaragua where he has joined the mercenaries serving William Walker, an American who is trying to take over the country.

Colonel Grant Farrell, head of Walker’s private military, takes Eleanora’s brother as hostage, forcing Eleanora, an innocent, to pose as his mistress. Then he holds her prisoner in his home without even clothes to wear. She even begins to make excuses for the colonel (he’s a half-breed Apache with a poor childhood).

 

Once her brother is released and she is free, Eleanora doesn’t tell her brother she was raped and, when her brother wounds the colonel in a duel, she returns to Colonel Farrell’s house to tend his wound. While tending the colonel, Eleanora introduces herself as his mistress, apparently resigned to the role. (He has such a low view of women he will not offer her marriage).

 

Impressed with Eleanora’s medical knowledge, the local doctor invites her to tend the wounded American mercenaries. She takes on the task and, for her valiant efforts, is dubbed “the colonel’s angel.” But she has rivals who seek Eleanora’s demise.

 

The writing is excellent. Blake really makes you feel like you’re in the hot, dusty streets of Nicaragua in a tumultuous time. I could suggest you might want a map, too, so I’ve included one. Blake has obviously done much research for the book and it is seamlessly woven into the story. The scenes as they tramp from Granada to the coast through the jungles and rivers are very well done, and very realistic. The characters are richly developed, too. (Luis was one of my favorite characters.)

 

This one will capture you, I promise.

 

 

Anthea Lawson’s TO HEAL A HEART – A Well-written, Intriguing Love Story set in Crete and England

Set in the mid 19^th century, this is the story of Miss Caroline Huntington who goes to Crete with her friend to engage in charity work. Injured, she is taken to the island’s British doctor, Alex Trentham, who really isn’t practicing medicine but he agrees to help. Put off by his gruff manner, she soon realizes there is far more to this man than meets the eye.

Dr. Alex Trentham fled England, vowing not to return, but he never bargained for the beautiful Caroline to enter his life. As she recovers, the carefully constructed walls around his heart start to crumble under the force of emotions he cannot allow himself to feel.

When danger threatens, Caroline returns to England, leaving Alex behind, for he refuses to go with her—until he hears she is in trouble. Villains aplenty abound, including a cocaine addict suitor. This is a well-written story, and I especially loved the scenes on Crete. I can recommend it but just so you know, there are several graphic love scenes.

 

Maggie Mooha’s IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – Two Scarred People Find Love in the Crimean War

 

Set in the mid 19^th century, this is the story of Eleanor Sherbrook whose beauty is marred by a red birthmark that covers half her face. She does not expect men to see her as marriage material. The balls in London have taught her that much. But she is no shrinking vine. When her sister Julia steals the man she loves, Lieutenant Joshua Wentworth, Eleanor decides to serve with Miss Nightingale as a nurse for the wounded soldiers fighting Russia in the Crimean War. She travels to the British Army hospital in Scutari, Turkey where conditions are less than ideal. Coincidentally, this is near where Joshua is serving in the Light Brigade.

 

In the war, Eleanor and Joshua are thrown together, and often find solace in each other’s company. Joshua is wounded, losing an eye and, ironically, ends up with half his face scarred. Eleanor will nurse him to health. Meanwhile, her sister Julia begins a relationship with another man in London and seemingly cares nothing for what her fiancé is facing in the horrible war.

 

I should say at the outset the writing is excellent with many exciting scenes. Even though I knew where the story was going and could see the outcome, I kept reading. Eleanor’s trials as a battlefield nurse were intriguing and Joshua is a fitting hero who is Eleanor’s perfect match. Both are courageous. The historical events are well recorded. There’s lots of blood, guts and gore and much medical description that make the story realistic. The only thing that bothered me was Joshua’s continual reference to himself in his thinking as “Wentworth” as though he was speaking of another person but this was not a great matter.

 

For those who love deep historicals, this is a worthy story.

Patty Apostolides’ HELENA’S CHOICE – Historical Romance set in 19th century Greece

Set in Greece in 1837, this is the story of Helena Cadfield, who has just returned from boarding school in Paris to her home in Oxfordshire where she learns her father has died in Greece while excavating treasures on her late mother's property. She wants to go to Greece to claim her inheritance, but she needs funds, so she takes a position as a governess with a family that, fortunately, moves to Greece.

Unaware of Helena’s existence, Dr. Aristotle Mastoras accepts the offer from the Archaeological Society to lead the project investigating the house of the late Dr. Cadfield. Helena meets Aristotle at a court ball in Greece, where she is watching over her charge.

 

Many obstacles interfere with their growing affection for each other: jewel thieves; Helena’s former suitor back in England and a German woman who has claims on Aristotle. Will Helena stay in Greece or return to her beloved Oxfordshire?

 

This is a romance set in a post war Greece, a country hurting but trying to recover. Told at a leisurely pace, the author conveys many details of Helena’s world: her loss of family, her misfortunes and her dawning future. Helena is a resourceful woman and Aristotle a man who knows what he wants. You get a good sense of what Greece was like at the time as Helena and Aristotle search for treasure.

 

 

Giovanna Siniscalchi’s THE TRUE PURPOSE OF VINES – A Romance for Wine Lovers, Especially Lovers of Port

November is Victorian month on Historical Romance Review. I’m starting with a cleverly written tale set in Portugal in the Victorian era. 

Julia Costa, a widow and a winemaker in the Douro region in northern Portugal. There she harbors a secret valley where she grows new vines unlike any other. Her business partner who has loaned her funds wants to know if his investment will pay off so he sends the Englishman, Griffin Maxwell, to check on things. Griffen, an expert in accounting and trusted by Costa, is willing to do it because he wants a partnership with Oport’s largest trading firm. And Costa, the owner, wants Griffen to marry his daughter.

 

Opposites attract, and the independent widow, who is knowledgeable in all things to do with vines, and the Englishman, who knows the financial side of the business, are soon a pair. When a mysterious plague decimates the vineyards, Griffin and Julia race to find a cure. As attraction leads to passion, Griffen fails to tell Julia he is engaged to another. Lurking in the background is an aristocratic Portuguese who is bent on having Julia as his wife and a politician who knows much about vines who also has her in his sites.

 

This book is well-written and full of information about growing grapes for wine, port wine to be exact. It’s cleverly done weaving together the story of the vines and wine and the growing love between the two lead characters. Some exciting scenes add spice. There are explicit love scenes should that be an issue.