Apr 28, 2017 | reviews, romance
From the Journals of Sophia Noirot: A dress is a weapon. It must dazzle his eye, raise his temperature … and empty his purse.
A blue-eyed innocent on the outside and a shark on the inside, dressmaker Sophy Noirot could sell sand to Bedouins. Selling Maison Noirot’s beautiful designs to aristocratic ladies is a little harder, especially since a recent family scandal has made an enemy of one of society’s fashion leaders. Turning scandal to the shop’s advantage requires every iota of Sophy’s skills, leaving her little patience for a big, reckless rake like the Earl of Longmore. The gorgeous lummox can’t keep more than one idea in his head at a time, and his idea is taking off all of Sophy’s clothes.
But when Longmore’s sister, Noirot’s wealthiest, favorite customer, runs away, Sophy can’t let him bumble after her on his own. In hot pursuit with the one man who tempts her beyond reason, she finds desire has never slipped on so smoothly…
Scandal Wears Satin, by Loretta Chase
This is the second book in the Dressmakers Series, following the story of Marcelline and Clevedon in Silk Is For Seduction, reviewed here. I read it mostly because I’m rereading the series in advance of Lady Clara’s story, Dukes Prefer Blondes. This is definitely a series where reading in order is a necessity, not a suggestion. (At least, in my own humble opinion.)
Sadly, there are fewer dresses in this one — a shame, since like I said, that was my favorite part of the first book. It does make sense, because Marcelline is the brains behind the designs while Sophy is the saleswoman, both in print and in person. She’s also an accomplished actress, as it turns out, able to give people what they expect in order to turn herself into someone else.
A large part of the story revolves around Lady Clara’s troubles, because if the shop loses Lady Clara as a customer then they have some serious trouble to deal with. I continue to like her as a character, although there’s no moment where you stand up and cheer for her in this book like you did in the first one. Instead, it feels like she backslides just a little bit in terms of having a backbone — although that is perhaps believable considering the social ruin she’s facing. Once again, the plot relies on how much you’re willing to suspend disbelief at the modifications to the strict social customs of the day. (A thoroughly modern take on the Regency era, versus the Heyer style.)
I like Sophy, although I feel like there were some threads left hanging about her character. Longmore, on the other hand… well, he’s not my favorite hero of the series. I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to his character. There were some hints that maybe he wasn’t as shallow as he made an effort to appear, but it felt like the book didn’t really follow up on those. It’s likely just my personal preference that I would have enjoyed a little more character development in lieu of some of the sexytimes (of which there are plenty!).
Still, it’s an enjoyable romp and the three sisters (and Lady Clara) definitely make for an interesting main set of characters to focus around. Of the three, Leonie is the one who has been least talked about, so it will be interesting to revisit her story and see where it goes. If you’re interested in the series, I definitely recommend you start with the first one and see how you enjoy that before picking up this one. They’re very much in the same style and you’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of this book if you’re not trying to sort out the characters and what’s happened previously.
Apr 25, 2017 | updates
This isn’t a review, because I don’t think I could review my own work. I mean, I’m rather biased — although the direction of that bias depends on the day. But I have to mark the day somehow.
We are, fittingly, close to a year and a half from the first words set to paper (well, digital paper) of what ultimately became Entangled with the Earl. I’m not sure the first draft will ever see the light of day; I wrote it during a caffeine fueled frenzy in an attempt to actually complete NaNoWriMo. (I succeeded, although the book itself wasn’t finished until December.) Subsequent drafts erased one character, changed the plot, and saved the book.
The temptation to keep working on it, to continue to iterate through the drafts is still there. I suspect every writer goes through that, and it’s a struggle to know when to let the story go and share it with others. A struggle and terrifying, honestly. Is anyone going to like it? Is anyone going to read it? Do I even know how I feel about any answer to that question? (The answer to that last one is no, definitely not.)
Martin and Teresa’s story is one that even took me by surprise. I thought I had an idea of how the story would go, but both of them are strong-minded characters who took one look at the story and veered off in a different direction. I can’t say I objected too much. They’ve become friends — one would hope so after we’ve spent a year and a half together — and I hope you’ll enjoy meeting them too. And it is time, because another story calls from the horizon — another couple waiting to surprise me with their own twists and turns.
So here we go, into uncharted waters. Not that this entire endeavor hasn’t been an exercise in discovery, from writing to editing to cover design to (the still-to-be-sorted-out) marketing to formatting. (And probably a few other things I’m forgetting.) And now most of it is done, and I will go from having written a book to having released a book. Like many a new author, I’m sure I will spend the day trying not to look at reviews (or guessing whether there will be any at all!) and procrastinating in the time-honored fashion of cleaning my desk.
Also on the to do list for tomorrow? Solidifying the outline for the next book in the Tangled Threads series. If you’re interested, join my newsletter — all my announcements will get posted there first!
Happy reading and help your fellow readers out with a review, if you feel so moved! I’ll have my next book review up on Friday.
Apr 21, 2017 | reviews, romance
Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly–so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don’t get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.
But that is precisely what she gets.
Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he’s up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he’s determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match…
The Duchess War, by Courtney Milan
It was probably good that I waited to reread this until after I had already submitted my book to Amazon, because honestly reading this makes me want to take my book and put it through another 47 drafts so it achieves maybe half the level of excellence on display here. Maybe.
I would say if I was lucky, but that downplays the amount of hard work and research that went into The Duchess War. What makes the book excellent isn’t luck. It’s the phenomenal writing, the solid characters, the historical research, and the plausible plots that still allow for strong female characters. It’s Georgette Heyer meets modern Regency with a touch of the deeper political issues of the day thrown in for good measure and the result is an amazing book.
(Well, I’ll use the term Regency loosely here, because as the story indicates, it actually takes place in Victoria’s reign. However, the hero is most definitely a Duke. A flawed, human Duke, but a Duke nonetheless, and therefore in my personal classification system, the book gets filed under Regency. Apologies to all the librarians I just made twitch.)
Miss Minerva Lane has fled from her past. She wants nothing more than the safety of anonymity. However, the unfortunate coincidence of her name combined with her charity work for factory workers has convinced the head of the local militia that she has been writing inflammatory handbills calling for the unionization of workers. If he starts digging, none of her secrets will be safe — so the obvious solution is to find who is printing the handbills and therefore clear her name.
Unfortunately, this puts her directly on a collision course with the Duke of Clermont, the one gentleman she’d prefer to avoid at all costs. He makes her dream, something she absolutely can’t afford to do. Watching the two of them come together is an absolute treat and there were several points where I read sections out loud to my husband because they made me laugh (and honestly sounded like a conversation the two of us would have).
A lot of the romances I read are light — I’ll jokingly call them my literary Twinkies, because they’re for fun. (And before someone thinks I mean this as a bad thing, I derived very little enjoyment out of any book I read in high school English classes with the exception of Pride and Prejudice. I like my Twinkies, thank you very much, and I absolutely respect how much work goes into writing them.) The Duchess War, however, is a book that manages to feel like something more, even as it still hits all the notes required for an excellent romance.
So I hope that, with a lot of hard work and practice and maybe just a little bit of luck, I will someday write something at least half as good as The Duchess War. And in the meantime, if you haven’t read it already, you should go and fix that.
Apr 14, 2017 | reviews, romance
He’s
at her service…
Though she can’t afford the coal to heat her drafty Mayfair mansion, Felicity Langley still clings to her dream of marrying a duke—one she’s had since her very first curtsy. After all, she’s been promised to the very lofty Duke of Hollindrake for the last four years. Now all she has to do is meet him. But what Felicity doesn’t realize is that she has met her duke—he’s the altogether too handsome man who Felicity has just mistaken …for her new footman!
By rights, Thatcher should immediately set this presumptuous chit straight and tell her he has no intention of honoring the arranged betrothal. But he’s quickly smitten by Felicity’s delightful determination, her irrepressible charm …and her breathtaking sensuality. Yes, she’d wed him in an instant were his true identity revealed—but Thatcher’s vowed to marry only for love. So begins his deception and his conquest of this uncommon woman who doesn’t believe in romance, but is about to find her heart and passion set aflame by the unlikely man she’s sworn to resist.
Love Letters from a Duke, by Elizabeth Boyle
Although this is the third book in the Bachelor Chronicles series, it’s the first book by Elizabeth Boyle that I’d ever read. And as such, it should be the first one of hers that I review, because it completely stole my heart. Much like the characters did. Felicity has a spark about her that reminds me of the person I wish I could be like — her determination to get things done, her loyalty to people (even when she’s aware of their flaws), and how she doesn’t allow life’s challenges to get her down. Even when she feels her back is against a wall, she still manages to rally, knowing that she can make the best of it somehow.
That was something I desperately wanted to believe in, when I first read the book in the middle of my long, slow slog through graduate school. The idea that someone could still take joy in life, even when the world was presenting challenges — I needed that. It doesn’t hurt that her dialogue sparkles and the secondary characters are equally well-developed (unsurprising in a series like this).
This is a decidedly modern Regency romance, with a plot that would be completely impossible by Heyer standards, but it’s a fun read. Thatcher works well as a Duke who isn’t interested in being all that ducal, and watching him learn about his grandfather through the glimpses of the letters that Felicity and his grandfather exchanged in his name make both him and his grandfather more human. I really enjoyed the ending too. No spoilers but it was perfect for the characters!
This is definitely a book I’m more than happy to pull out for a reread when I need a smile or a reminder that there is still joy in life. I’m not in grad school anymore (thank goodness) but there are still days where that kind of thing is very helpful. As my experience shows, you don’t have to have read the earlier books in the series, although some of the references to earlier events will be less clear. Do yourself a favor though and don’t miss it!
Apr 9, 2017 | reviews, romance
From the Design Book of Marcelline Noirot:
The allure of the perfect gown should be twofold: ladies would die to wear it… and gentlemen would kill to remove it!
Brilliant and ambitious dressmaker Marcelline Noirot is London’s rising star. And who better to benefit from her talent than the worst-dressed lady in the ton, the Duke of Clevedon’s intended bride? Winning the future duchess’s patronage means prestige and fortune for Marcelline and her sisters. To get to the lady, though, Marcelline must win over Clevedon, whose standards are as high as his morals are… not.
The prize seems well worth the risk — but this time Marcelline’s met her match. Clevedon can design a seduction as irresistible as her dresses; and what begins as a flicker of desire between two of the most passionately stubborn charmers in London soon ignites into a delicious inferno …and a blazing scandal.
And now both their futures hang by an exquisite thread of silk…
Silk is for Seduction, by Loretta Chase
I think my favorite part of this book is the dresses.
Seriously. The description of the dresses makes me wish I had the money to go and do fashion, ignoring the fact that my body type is far from ideal for that sort of thing. The colors, the gowns, the drama — you can almost see it through Marcelline’s eyes and for me, that was the most enchanting part. Her passion for her craft is real and the descriptions are vivid. That Clevedon ends up falling for that rings true to me — and that that passion shows up in other areas of her personality is only logical.
Both Marcelline and Clevedon are very human characters, with flaws that might ring a little too true at times. As the blurb makes clear, Clevedon already has an intended bride — Lady Clara (who meets her match in book 4 of the series). Marcelline is well aware of Lady Clara’s existence, as it’s her patronage that she’s after. The idea that she needs to go to Paris to meet Clevedon in order to convince him that Lady Clara should be wearing gowns designed by Marcelline is a little far-fetched and some readers will definitely be put off by the fact that Clevedon and Marcelline’s happiness comes at the expense of Lady Clara’s — although I happen to love the scene where Lady Clara stands up for herself.
Probably the biggest issue I had with the book was with some of the supporting characters, specifically Marcelline’s daughter. Although some of the sections were amusing, at times it felt like she existed more for plot purposes than as an organic part of the story. The ending gets wrapped up a little more neatly than I would have expected, given how much was made of the differences in their class standing, and I hope that the next book will show a little more of how the ton and Marcelline are getting along.
In the end, my guess is that how you feel about the book is going to depend on to what extent you’re willing to suspend disbelief on the social conventions of the day* and how close to home the flaws of the main characters hit. For me, the descriptions outweigh a lot and I can enjoy it for the dresses, enough to go back and reread it every so often. I’m looking forward to reading Lady Clara’s story soon!
* I should write more about how I view this as an author/reader, but essentially this plotline works in the alternate reality that most modern Regency romances tend to inhabit but wouldn’t fly for Georgette Heyer. And I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that — I think my books fit into the same alternate reality, where the social conventions are a little less strict, the women are more outspoken and (dare I say) modern, and the language is certainly a different style — but I feel like I should be clear about the difference. (I like both worlds, I just prefer to write in the alternate one.)
