Lauren Laviolette’s LOVE AMONG THE RABBLE – Wonderful Love Story Spanning America’s War of Independence

July is Patriotic Historical Month where I feature love stories from America’s fight to be a free nation and to see that all its citizens were free. I’m starting with a book I really enjoyed though it’s the only one the author wrote.

 

This is a wonderful love story! If you like a well-written historical romance that will put you into the time of America's Revolutionary War, this is a good one! It spans the years 1773-1780, as Laviolette takes us deep into what happened in South Carolina during that time. I love a romance with rich historical detail and real (as well as fictional) characters, especially when combined with a dashing hero and a strong, independent heroine--and I was not disappointed in this one.

 

As the story opens, it's 1773 and the Colonies are on the brink of war with England. "Loyalists" and "Rebels" are beginning to square off against each other in South Carolina. Today we think of the war as between England and the young American nation, but it wasn't so clear then. People loyal to the Crown who considered themselves Americans lived next door to those "rebels" who considered themselves patriots. Sometimes this occurred even in the same family.

 

Liliana ("Lily") Dunmore considered herself a patriot (while her family purportedly was Loyalist) until she met Lieutenant Bennett Davenport, a British Naval officer who happened to be in her home of Charles Town. Though Bennett is wildly attracted to the beautiful and tempestuous Lily Dunmore (who is crazy about him), he expects to inherit a title as a Baronet and knows he cannot marry a commoner, especially a Colonial. The war will tear their budding love asunder and years will pass before they are brought together, but what a sweet ending.

 

I highly recommend this one and think you will like it, too!

 

Judith E. French’s SCARLET RIBBONS – Exciting Story of Love in the time of the Revolutionary War!

Set in Maryland in 1777, scarlet ribbons tells the story of Sarah Turner, originally from England who, through a series of misfortunes, is now innkeeper of King’s Landing, and wed to a man serving the loyalists. Then one day to her inn comes Forest Irons, a Rebel spy sent to watch the goings on at the inn for General Washington. Forest dons the disguise of a beard and an eye patch and poses as a man in need of work, a man with no loyalties. Sarah needs help at the inn and for her young son, so she hires him, never knowing he is an enemy and never telling him her husband lies in an unmarked grave nearby.

 

With treachery, intrigue, and bad guys aplenty, French weaves a well-written tale of love in the time of war. The story reflects extensive research as she puts you in the scene with conflicting loyalties as some Americans supported England’s reign and others wanted their new country free from England’s tyranny. Forest is a worthy hero, bound by his dream of a free America to the Rebel cause, yet finds himself falling in love with a courageous woman who is loyal to the Crown. Sarah is one smart, clever heroine who will have you cheering.

 

If you want to experience our nation at war in the time of its early beginnings, this is a great romance to read. While there are no battles, you’ll see what went on in the early days of the war between Maryland and the Rebels’ winter camp in Pennsylvania.

Danelle Harmon’s THE WAYWARD ONE – Revolutionary War Story with an Irish Hero

Set in 1779, this is the story of Irish Captain Ruaidri O' Devir, a commander in the American Continental Navy, selected by John Adams to sail to England and steal a new explosive formula developed by an English nobleman.

 

Lady Nerissa de Montforte, the youngest sibling in an aristocratic English family, is excited to accompany her brother to a demonstration of his new explosive invention. When her brother sends her to safety so she will not feel the device’s impact, it provides the perfect opportunity for Ruaidri to abduct her, thinking he will ransom her for the formula.

 

Having experienced the brutality of being impressed into serving the British navy, Ruaidri is contemptuous of all English and particularly the aristocracy. Nerissa finds the Irish captain both arrogant and attractive. Neither counts on falling in love, but they do and very quickly while the British Navy is searching the seas to reclaim her and do away with the Irishman.

 

This is a well-told story of second chances set against the time of America’s War of Independence. Nerissa’s fiancé jilted her and Ruaidri’s first love betrayed him with his best friend. In addition she is from wealth and title; he is from a poor Irish family. So, both carry baggage into their already problematic relationship. But Ruaidri is noble of heart, if not birth, and also a gentleman, so we want him to get the girl.

 

Harmon has included some exciting scenes of battles at sea with vivid descriptions and accurate nautical terminology. Those who love authenticity in their historical romances will appreciate her attention to detail.

 

This is book 5 in the de Montforte Brothers series and I recommend reading them I order. Also, Harmon’s various series are related and characters from one series may appear in another. From the beginning of The Wayward One, couples and characters from the earlier stories appear, some remaining to be characters in this story. If you want to understand who they are, best to begin at the beginning.

 

The de Montforte Brothers:

 

The Wild One

The Beloved One

The Defiant One

The Wicked One

The Wayward One

Lauren Laviolette’s LOVE AMONG THE RABBLE – Wonderful Love Story Spanning America’s War of Independence

This is a wonderful love story! If you like a well-written historical romance that will put you into the time of America's Revolutionary War, this is a good one! It spans the years 1773-1780, as Laviolette takes us deep into what happened in South Carolina during that time. I love a romance with rich historical detail and real (as well as fictional) characters, especially when combined with a dashing hero and a strong, independent heroine--and I was not disappointed in this one.

As the story opens, it's 1773 and the Colonies are on the brink of war with England. "Loyalists" and "Rebels" are beginning to square off against each other in South Carolina. Today we think of the war as between England and the young American nation, but it wasn't so clear then. People loyal to the Crown who considered themselves Americans lived next door to those "rebels" who considered themselves patriots. Sometimes this occurred even in the same family.

Liliana ("Lily") Dunmore considered herself a patriot (while her family purportedly was Loyalist) until she met Lieutenant Bennett Davenport, a British Naval officer who happened to be in her home of Charles Town. Though Bennett is wildly attracted to the beautiful and tempestuous Lily Dunmore (who is crazy about him), he expects to inherit a title as a Baronet and knows he cannot marry a commoner, especially a Colonial. The war will tear their budding love asunder and years will pass before they are brought together, but what a sweet ending.

I highly recommend this one and think you will like it, too!

Constance O’Banyon’s VELVET CHAINS – Superb Storytelling in this Privateer Adventure from the American Revolution

Set during the American Revolution, 1779-1781, this tells the story of Lady Season Chatsworth, a young English beauty who fakes a tumble in the hay with the stable boy on their English estate to avoid a dreaded arranged marriage. Her reputation in tatters, her father the duke sends her away to America to marry her cousin, Sir Edmund Kensworthy, captain of His Majesty’s Guards in New York. But her reputation as a loose woman, false though it may be, has followed her to the Colonies.

Both Edmund and his handsome friend Lucas Carrington, to whom Season is immediately attracted, assume she is free with her favors, much to her chagrin. Meanwhile, there is an American privateer called “the Raven” terrorizing the British and winning the praise of the patriots.

This is a great story of a worthy heroine who is constantly faced with the foibles of men who underestimate her. She put up with so much one could only wonder at the wisdom of a 19-year-old girl. When she is captured by the Raven and held for exchange of an American prisoner, the adventure begins and Season finds herself in love with the masked man who takes her innocence.

O’Banyon vividly portrays the emotions of the Colonists with the British living among them. Our hero is a spy as well as a privateer and I loved that! This is one that will hold your interest. And though I might not have wanted to wait until the very end for Season to learn The Truth, I cannot deny I was absorbed enough to hang in there.

A few nits: With her careful attention to historical details, it was surprising O’Banyon got the forms of address wrong for the British nobility. If her father was the Duke of Chatsworth, their surname would not be “Chatsworth,” and she would not be “Lady Chatsworth” (that would have been her mother); she would be “Lady Season (surname).” Also, I just have to say that naming your daughter “Season” in England at that time (when “Season” referred to the London social season) would be like naming an American girl “Cotillion.” Seemed bizarre and it distracted. But these were minor in the scheme of the whole story.

This is a bodice-ripper, a privateer tale and an American patriotic romance. And it’s a keeper.

Heather Graham’s LOVE NOT A REBEL – Great Revolutionary War Romance

This is the 3rd in the North American Woman trilogy, which is a part of the 6-book Cameron Saga, and it is one you will really enjoy. I loved this trilogy and highly recommend it.

The story begins in Boston in 1773 when Lord Eric Cameron, a Virginian with estates in England and a descendent of the Camerons whose stories are told in the first two books, meets and falls in love with the beautiful and tempestuous Lady Amanda Sterling who is only 17. Lady Amanda, a loyalist, is in love with dashing Lord Robert Tarryton but he wants a title and is willing to marry a duchess he does not love to get it. While Amanda is expecting a proposal from Lord Tarryton, she learns of his betrothal to the duchess and is heartbroken.

Tarryton would take her as his mistress, which shocks her and she spurns him for it. Meanwhile, Eric has spoken to her father about marrying her and her father has given his consent. To get away from her father who is brutally cruel to her, and to flee her only other prospect, Amanda consents to wed Eric. She does not love him, but she is inexplicably drawn to the handsome, virile man. Eric is fast becoming an American patriot. A friend of George Washington and Patrick Henry, he values liberty and is willing to risk all to have it.

I love how Graham weaves real history into the story. Amanda is forced by her father to spy on her husband and the actions of the patriots. Eric suspects this and though he has fallen in love with her, he does not trust her and feeds her false information. Their lovemaking is passionate, but neither says anything for fear of giving the other power. George Washington believes Amanda may be "the Highness," the spy who is hurting the rebel cause. Eric believes it, too.

Swept up in the tides of history, we discover that love still matters, treachery can come from those closest to us, and truth is hard to find. If you love American history and the Revolutionary War period, and if you love truly great historical romance, you'll love this one. Graham's writing and well-described action does not disappoint. I really loved the way she shows us how the "lords" of England became the ordinary—or rather, extraordinary—men of America. No titles but with great courage and a greater legacy.

The Cameron Saga:

The North American Women trilogy: Sweet Savage Eden, A Pirate's Pleasure and Love Not a Rebel
The Camerons in the Civil War trilogy: One Wore Blue, And One Wore Gray, And One Rode West

Danelle Harmon’s THE WAYWARD ONE – Revolutionary War Story with an Irish Hero

Set in 1779, this is the story of Irish Captain Ruaidri O' Devir, a commander in the American Continental Navy, selected by John Adams to sail to England and steal a new explosive formula developed by an English nobleman.

Lady Nerissa de Montforte, the youngest sibling in an aristocratic English family, is excited to accompany her brother to a demonstration of his new explosive invention. When her brother sends her to safety so she will not feel the device’s impact, it provides the perfect opportunity for Ruaidri to abduct her, thinking he will ransom her for the formula.

Having experienced the brutality of being impressed into serving the British navy, Ruaidri is contemptuous of all English and particularly the aristocracy. Nerissa finds the Irish captain both arrogant and attractive. Neither counts on falling in love, but they do and very quickly while the British Navy is searching the seas to reclaim her and do away with the Irishman.

This is a well-told story of second chances set against the time of America’s War of Independence. Nerissa’s fiancé jilted her and Ruaidri’s first love betrayed him with his best friend. In addition she is from wealth and title; he is from a poor Irish family. So, both carry baggage into their already problematic relationship. But Ruaidri is noble of heart, if not birth, and also a gentleman, so we want him to get the girl.

Harmon has included some exciting scenes of battles at sea with vivid descriptions and accurate nautical terminology. Those who love authenticity in their historical romances will appreciate her attention to detail.

This is book 5 in the de Montforte Brothers series and I recommend reading them in order. Harmon’s various series are related and characters from one series may appear in another. From the beginning of The Wayward One, couples and characters from the earlier stories appear, some remaining to be characters in this story. If you want to understand who they are, best to begin at the beginning.

The de Montforte Brothers:

The Wild One

The Beloved One

The Defiant One

The Wicked One

The Wayward One

Shirl Henke’s LOVE A REBEL, LOVE A ROGUE – Superb Dual Romance Set in the days of the Revolutionary War!

July is American Patriotic Romances month and I'm starting with a good one.

First in Henke’s Blackthorne trilogy (Love A Rebel, Love A Rogue, Wicked Angel and Wanton Angel) this one is set during the years 1780-1782 in the Georgia Colony at the time of the Revolutionary War and tells of two heroes, one a patriot and one a loyalist. As always, Henke serves up a tale rich in history with a winding plot that will hold you captive ‘ till the end.

Quintin Blackthorne despised his father and the secret he was forced as a child to keep but he knew he would need an heir and for that he had to marry. He cared little about who the woman might be as long as she wasn’t beautiful so that other men might want her for he mistrusted all women. Madelyne Deveaux, the daughter of his father’s friend, seemed plain and biddable enough, though when he first saw her she was covered with dirt. When she travels to Blackthorne Hill in Savannah as his betrothed, he is furious at the beauty revealed and her feisty manner. Worse, she is a loyalist and he a secret revolutionary. He is cold and arrogant to her, often embarrassing her in front of others. Still, Madelyne wants to earn his affection.

Quintin’s cousin, Devon Blackthorne, is part Indian, part white and all charm. He lives with his mother’s people, the Muskogee, and is an agent for the Crown, working with the soldiers coordinating the Indian allies. He knows nothing of his cousin’s support for the rebels. Unlike Quintin, Devon feels no pressure to take a wife and has no intention of doing so. But then he rescues the shipwrecked and haughty Lady Barbara Caruthers who has been banished to the Colonies and her brother from London by her mother for her willful and wasteful ways—and because the beautiful blonde was competition. Despite their disparate worlds, Devon and Barbara soon fall in love.

I didn’t realize until I read this story that the Indians fought on the side of the Crown, or that they had reason to prefer the British to the Colonists who would take their land. I love learning history while reading a great romance. My favorite couple was Devon and Barbara. (Madelyne was a bit too accommodating of Quintin’s cold and sometimes cruel manner). But I thought Henke wove the two stories together very well, all the while letting us see the conflicting emotions as the war saw friends and family on opposite sides. It’s a great way to gain a new perspective on the Revolutionary War—and it’s a good story, a very worthy read!

Cordia Byers’s DEVON – Thrilling Revolutionary War Saga of and English Girl and a Spy for the American Rebels

Set in 1777, in the time of the Revolutionary War, this is the story of Devon Mackinsey, the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish lord who, caring nothing for her, consigned her to the kitchens of their estate. A kind butler helped introduce her to the grandmother she never knew who saves her from a life as a scullery maid. Sent away to a proper lady’s school, Devon becomes a well-mannered beauty who resorts to crime as the infamous Shadow to save her family’s estate from its many debts. But when Hunter Barclay, wealthy heir to a peer, discovers her stealing his uncle's silver, they make a bargain -- one kiss for silence about both her secret and his (he's a spy for the Rebel colonists).

Devon and Hunter part that night, but Hunter must intervene again to save Devon from the gallows when a cruel English lord would have his vengeance upon her for another theft. Hunter’s intervention grants Devon her life in exchange for a lifetime as Hunter’s bond slave. He takes her to the Colonies, and on the way, he claims her as his mistress, never telling her he will marry another woman when they reach Virginia. Nor does he tell Devon of his dual life as a Royalist and an American Revolutionary.

I have loved others by Byers so I was not surprised I loved this one, too. It’s well told with lots of sexual tension and great action—kept me reading late into the night. There are a few improbable elements but none so ridiculous they bothered me. Beyers made them seem plausible. Devon is a worthy heroine, just the kind I like: a courageous young woman who rises to every challenge life throws at her. Hunter begins as a selfish though patriotic rogue who takes Devon’s innocence thinking only of his own pleasure, but gets caught in his obsession with the lovely girl. I recommend this one.

The sequel is The Black Angel.

Christine Dorsey’s TO LOVE A REBEL – Unusual Revolutionary War Romance Between a Patriot and a Loyalist Scot

Set in 1775 in North Carolina, this is the story of Fiona MacLure and her clan that is loyal to the king of England. (After Culloden and the way the English treated the Scots, I found that hard to believe but in fact, it’s true.)

When Fiona decides to steal the plans of the local militia, she didn’t count on the fact Colonel Zeke Kincaid would return early to find her in his rooms. Fiona pretends to be a lady of the night but Zeke isn’t buying it; she is too much of an innocent. Before he can learn why she is there, she knocks him over the head with a candlestick and flees to her grandfather’s plantation.

On assignment to try and keep the Scots neutral, Zeke ends up at Fiona’s family plantation. Neither Fiona nor Zeke can tell her grandfather, a powerful laird, what happened between them and each sees the other as the enemy.

Zeke begins as something of a cad, seducing Fiona and taking her innocence because he wanted her. He gives no thought to ruining her or leaving her pregnant. In fact, Zeke blames her for putting herself in his way. And there is no doubt Fiona makes some reckless moves. But still. She is 18.

Based on a true happening during the American Revolution, it’s a well-told story based on solid research with lots of chemistry between the leads. Zeke eventually realizes his feelings for Fiona go beyond lust.

For the Scots loyal to the British Crown you might like to read THIS ARTICLE

Betina Krahn’s THE PARADISE BARGAIN – Superb Storytelling in This Tale of the post American Revolution Whiskey Rebellion!

Krahn has written a superb romance, even more, she has developed winning characters, people you would really want to know, and she has served up a clever plot with twists and turns in an interesting time of American history (just after the American Revolution when the young government is trying to establish its authority). The place is Rapture Valley in Western Pennsylvania and the bargain is for paradise. This unique story will draw you in, I promise. I was captivated from the beginning and could not put it down.

Despite her desire to remain a Peter Pan-like youth forever, Whitney Daniels body has betrayed her—while the men were away fighting the War of Independence, she grew into a woman. Oh, she still wears breeches and boots, but men have started to notice her curves and it’s most annoying. While the whiskey-distilling father she loves is gone to Pittsburgh to protest the burdensome federal tax that is crippling the farmers (who make whiskey from their surplus grain), Whitney is left in charge and must fend off the federal troops who come to ferret out the rogue stills. Their leader, one Major Garner Townsend (of the Boston Townsends, he is quick to point out), has drawn this despicable duty due to the jealousy of a superior officer.

Garner has no desire to take on the troublemakers. But when he encounters their leader, Whitney Daniels, who both bites and kicks in fending off unwanted advances, he is overwhelmed by his attraction to the slip of a girl with the lush curves. In Rapture Valley, the currency is not cash; everyone bargains for what they need. Whitney is the best bargainer of all, and as she well knows, every man has his price.

Great storytelling at its finest. You won’t regret getting this one!

Note: this was previously released as Love’s Brazen Fire.

Review: Constance O’Banyon’s VELVET CHAINS – Superb Storytelling in this Privateer Adventure from the American Revolution

Set during the American Revolution, 1779-1781, this tells the story of Lady Season Chatsworth, a young English beauty who fakes a tumble in the hay with the stable boy on their English estate to avoid a dreaded arranged marriage. Her reputation in tatters, her father the duke sends her away to America to marry her cousin, Sir Edmund Kensworthy, captain of His Majesty’s Guards in New York. But her reputation as a loose woman, false though it may be, has followed her to the Colonies.

Both Edmund and his handsome friend Lucas Carrington, to whom Season is immediately attracted, assume she is free with her favors, much to her chagrin. Meanwhile, there is an American privateer called “the Raven” terrorizing the British and winning the praise of the patriots.

This is a great story of a worthy heroine who is constantly faced with the foibles of men who underestimate her. She put up with so much one could only wonder at the wisdom of a 19-year-old girl. When she is captured by the Raven and held for exchange of an American prisoner, the adventure begins and Season finds herself in love with the masked man who takes her innocence.

O’Banyon vividly portrays the emotions of the Colonists with the British living among them. Our hero is a spy as well as a privateer and I loved that! This is one that will hold your interest. And though I might not have wanted to wait until the very end for Season to learn The Truth, I cannot deny I was absorbed enough to hang in there.

A few nits: With her careful attention to historical details, it was surprising O’Banyon got the forms of address wrong for the British nobility. If her father was the Duke of Chatsworth, their surname would not be “Chatsworth,” and she would not be “Lady Chatsworth” (that would have been her mother); she would be “Lady Season (surname).” Also, I just have to say that naming your daughter “Season” in England at that time (when “Season” referred to the London social season) would be like naming an American girl “Cotillion.” Seemed bizarre and it distracted. But these were minor in the scheme of the whole story.

This is a bodice-ripper, a privateer tale and an American patriotic romance. And it’s a keeper.

Review: Judith E. French’s SCARLET RIBBONS – Exciting Story of Love in the time of the Revolutionary War!

Set in Maryland in 1777, scarlet ribbons tells the story of Sarah Turner, originally from England who, through a series of misfortunes, is now innkeeper of King’s Landing, and wed to a man serving the loyalists. Then one day to her inn comes Forest Irons, a Rebel spy sent to watch the goings on at the inn for General Washington. Forest dons the disguise of a beard and an eye patch and poses as a man in need of work, a man with no loyalties. Sarah needs help at the inn and for her young son, so she hires him, never knowing he is an enemy and never telling him her husband lies in an unmarked grave nearby.

With treachery, intrigue, and bad guys aplenty, French weaves a well-written tale of love in the time of war. The story reflects extensive research as she puts you in the scene with conflicting loyalties as some Americans supported England’s reign and others wanted their new country free from England’s tyranny. Forest is a worthy hero, bound by his dream of a free America to the Rebel cause, yet finds himself falling in love with a courageous woman who is loyal to the Crown. Sarah is one smart, clever heroine who will have you cheering.

If you want to experience our nation at war in the time of its early beginnings, this is a great romance to read. While there are no battles, you’ll see what went on in the early days of the war between Maryland and the Rebels' winter camp in Pennsylvania.

Review: Heather Graham’s LOVE NOT A REBEL – Great Revolutionary War Romance

This is the 3rd in the North American Woman trilogy, which is a part of the 6-book Cameron Saga, and it is one you will really enjoy. I loved this trilogy and highly recommend it.

The story begins in Boston in 1773 when Lord Eric Cameron, a Virginian with estates in England and a descendent of the Camerons whose stories are told in the first two books, meets and falls in love with the beautiful and tempestuous Lady Amanda Sterling who is only 17. Lady Amanda, a loyalist, is in love with dashing Lord Robert Tarryton but he wants a title and is willing to marry a duchess he does not love to get it. While Amanda is expecting a proposal from Lord Tarryton, she learns of his betrothal to the duchess and is heartbroken.

Tarryton would take her as his mistress, which shocks her and she spurns him for it. Meanwhile, Eric has spoken to her father about marrying her and her father has given his consent. To get away from her father who is brutally cruel to her, and to flee her only other prospect, Amanda consents to wed Eric. She does not love him, but she is inexplicably drawn to the handsome, virile man. Eric is fast becoming an American patriot. A friend of George Washington and Patrick Henry, he values liberty and is willing to risk all to have it.

I love how Graham weaves real history into the story. Amanda is forced by her father to spy on her husband and the actions of the patriots. Eric suspects this and though he has fallen in love with her, he does not trust her and feeds her false information. Their lovemaking is passionate, but neither says anything for fear of giving the other power. George Washington believes Amanda may be "the Highness," the spy who is hurting the rebel cause. Eric believes it, too.

Swept up in the tides of history, we discover that love still matters, treachery can come from those closest to us, and truth is hard to find. If you love American history and the Revolutionary War period, and if you love truly great historical romance, you'll love this one. Graham's writing and well-described action does not disappoint. I really loved the way she shows us how the "lords" of England became the ordinary—or rather, extraordinary—men of America. No titles but with great courage and a greater legacy.

The Cameron Saga:

The North American Women trilogy: Sweet Savage Eden, A Pirate's Pleasure and Love Not a Rebel
The Camerons in the Civil War trilogy: One Wore Blue, And One Wore Gray, And One Rode West

Review: Betina Krahn’s PASSION’S RANSOM – Absorbing American Revolution Story of a Smart Heroine who Becomes a Pirate Captain’s Woman

First published in 1989, this is a “keeper” story that blends the period of the American Revolution and the pirate/privateer culture. Krahn weaves a compelling, absorbing tale with great emotion, a rich layering of endearing characters, meaningful introspection, a believable plot, detailed historical elements and subtle humor.

Set in 1768 (prologue) and then ten years later in 1778, this is the story of Gabriel Prescott, a baron’s younger son who was playing the smuggler, rebelling against both his father and England’s taxation, when the pirate Bastian Cane captures Gabriel and forces him into the scoundrel’s services.

Ten years later, the two are partnered and our hero has become the pirate captain Raider Prescott. Hoping to find a northern market for their goods, they sail to Philadelphia where Bastian captures Blythe Woolrich. He expects her to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant and is planning to hold her for ransom. Unhappily, he discovers she comes with no money.

Raider calls Blythe “Wool-witch” for her headstrong nature, but in reality she is a young, virtuous woman who has been carrying the heavy load of responsibility for her somewhat bizarre family. Soon Raider and his crew find her irresistible and the very responsible Blythe finds herself falling in love with the pirate captain.

Krahn has created a wonderful pirate crew…not terribly debauched like a certain band who appear in the story, but still genuinely salty dogs of the era with unique quirks.

One of my favorite lines from the book, spoken by Raider to Blythe when she regrets having to leave the island where they shared their love: “Everything worth having can be carried in your heart.”

This one won’t disappoint!

Buy on Amazon in paper.

Review: Cordia Byers’s DEVON – Thrilling Revolutionary War Saga of and English Girl and a Spy for the American Rebels

July is American Patriotic Romances month on my blog… stories from America’s past involving worthy heroes and heroines. And this is a great one, a classic from the Revolutionary War, one of my favorite settings for patriotic romances.

Set in 1777, in the time of the Revolutionary War, this is the story of Devon Mackinsey, the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish lord who, caring nothing for her, consigned her to the kitchens of their estate. A kind butler helped introduce her to the grandmother she never knew who saves her from a life as a scullery maid. Sent away to a proper lady’s school, Devon becomes a well-mannered beauty who resorts to crime as the infamous Shadow to save her family’s estate from its many debts. But when Hunter Barclay, wealthy heir to a peer, discovers her stealing his uncle's silver, they make a bargain -- one kiss for silence about both her secret and his (he's a spy for the Rebel colonists).

Devon and Hunter part that night, but Hunter must intervene again to save Devon from the gallows when a cruel English lord would have his vengeance upon her for another theft. Hunter’s intervention grants Devon her life in exchange for a lifetime as Hunter’s bond slave. He takes her to the Colonies, and on the way, he claims her as his mistress, never telling her he will marry another woman when they reach Virginia. Nor does he tell Devon of his dual life as a Royalist and an American Revolutionary.

I have loved others by Byers so I was not surprised I loved this one, too. It’s well told with lots of sexual tension and great action—kept me reading late into the night. There are a few improbable elements but none so ridiculous they bothered me. Beyers made them seem plausible. Devon is a worthy heroine, just the kind I like: a courageous young woman who rises to every challenge life throws at her. Hunter begins as a selfish though patriotic rogue who takes Devon’s innocence thinking only of his own pleasure, but gets caught in his obsession with the lovely girl. I recommend this one.

The sequel is The Black Angel.

Buy Devon on Amazon

New Review: Danelle Harmon’s THE WAYWARD ONE – Revolutionary War Story with an Irish Hero

Set in 1779, this is the story of Irish Captain Ruaidri O' Devir, a commander in the American Continental Navy, selected by John Adams to sail to England and steal a new explosive formula developed by an English nobleman.

Lady Nerissa de Montforte, the youngest sibling in an aristocratic English family, is excited to accompany her brother to a demonstration of his new explosive invention. When her brother sends her to safety so she will not feel the device’s impact, it provides the perfect opportunity for Ruaidri to abduct her, thinking he will ransom her for the formula.

Having experienced the brutality of being impressed into serving the British navy, Ruaidri is contemptuous of all English and particularly the aristocracy. Nerissa finds the Irish captain both arrogant and attractive. Neither counts on falling in love, but they do and very quickly while the British Navy is searching the seas to reclaim her and do away with the Irishman.

This is a well-told story of second chances set against the time of America’s War of Independence. Nerissa’s fiancé jilted her and Ruaidri’s first love betrayed him with his best friend. In addition she is from wealth and title; he is from a poor Irish family. So, both carry baggage into their already problematic relationship. But Ruaidri is noble of heart, if not birth, and also a gentleman, so we want him to get the girl.

Harmon has included some exciting scenes of battles at sea with vivid descriptions and accurate nautical terminology. Those who love authenticity in their historical romances will appreciate her attention to detail.

This is book 5 in the de Montforte Brothers series and I recommend reading them I order. Also, Harmon’s various series are related and characters from one series may appear in another. From the beginning of The Wayward One, couples and characters from the earlier stories appear, some remaining to be characters in this story. If you want to understand who they are, best to begin at the beginning.

The de Montforte Brothers:

The Wild One

The Beloved One

The Defiant One

The Wicked One

The Wayward One

New Review: Jo Goodman’s SEASWEPT ABANDON – Slightly Improbable but At Times Exciting Story set in the time of the Revolutionary War

The story begins in New York sometime during the Revolutionary War (no date is given but it was before Yorktown so I’d estimate 1781-82). Rahab McClellan (Rahab, as in the name of the prostitute in the city of Jericho in the Bible story) is living with her brother, Salem, and his wife Ashley. Knowing Rahab wants to be involved in the war, Ashley sends her sister-in-law to a tavern to carry a message to a man working for the rebels. Rahab is delighted, no matter the danger. Which is characteristic of this heroine… she is reckless.

The only women in the tavern are whores servicing the Redcoats, which seems an unlikely place for a lady to be delivering messages. When Rahab takes on the role of a serving wench (not a part of the plan) and the bartender suggests she make her appearance more alluring for the customers, she complies. While serving customers, she knifes one who tries to grab her, killing him. When the men in the tavern threaten her, she is saved by a man named Jericho (yep, same city) Smith. Jericho is actually the guy who was waiting for the courier who he thought would be Ashley.

Jericho takes Rahab to General Washington’s schooner, which is oddly devoid of any crew. There she suddenly comes down with a case of amnesia and can’t remember who she is. She and Jericho fight like cats and dogs. Jericho tells her she is a whore and she accepts it. (Are you still with me?) Of course they are attracted to each other. And, not surprisingly, given all this, Jericho thinks he’ll have a quick tumble with her. After all, she is a whore, right? She certainly sheds her clothes like one.

About a third of the way through the story we begin to get a sense that there’s a war going and the characters get briefly involved in it. And then the story moves to England and the war is forgotten. There, we discover that Jericho is actually Goeffrey Hunter-Smythe, the Earl of Stanhope and he intends to recover his title.

Readers might note this reads like a Regency with terms of that period (pelisse, set down, missish, sirrah, etc.). Once the story moves to England, it seems to fit.

The author writes well and the story, while a bit improbable, has many twists and turns. The heroine is at times the gentle lady and at times the curse-spewing shrew. Hard to know the real woman. 

I did not read the first book in this series. Since this story refers to other characters and the first book, I would suggest reading the series in order:

Crystal Passion

Seaswept Abandon

Tempting Torment