Tag Archives: historical

Feb4

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Jenkins Reid, Taylor. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Atria Books, 2017. 400pp. ISBN 9781501139239. $30.00

*****

You know how in Titanic there’s that scene in the contemporary part of the narrative where all the people on the boat are leaning forward staring at Rose while she tells her story? I felt like that at the end of every chapter of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: and emotional leaning in, with AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED???

A journalist gets the gig of a lifetime when she is handpicked to write an article at the end of a famous and now reclusive actress’s life; it turns out celebrity Evelyn wants only Monique to ghost-write her biography and reap all the rewards and benefits the publication will bring. But why? The mystery is unraveled through the telling of Evelyn’s tale, and through learning the details of Evelyn’s life and loves, Monique is able to process the end of her own marriage. Fantastic dramatic literary fiction.

I purchased and read my own copy.

Oct4

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan

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Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan

Ryan, Lindy. Bless Your Heart. St. Martin’s Press, 2024. pp. ISBN 9781250888884 $28.00

*****
This southern gothic set in 1999 just post-Columbine stars a magical matriarchy that runs the only funeral parlor in their tiny Texas town–with a side job of sending any dead that reanimate back to the grave for good. The Evans ladies keep their secret skill close, only disclosing the true family business when the next daughter comes of age. A series of recent violent and disturbing deaths has local law enforcement thinking that a large animal is on the loose and on the attack; Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and Luna know better, and hope to get everything resettled again before the townspeople gain a true realization of the monsters in their midst.

The strigori are a Romanian-based cross between a zombie and vampire: the restless spirit of a corpse rises as a flesh-eating monster that can only be killed for good with a metal stake through the heart. Some evolve to be powerful enough to pass for human, which is a whole ‘nother can of worms. The mythology is excellent, and the plot twists and turns include hints of romance and a lot of mystery.

The worldbuilding here is as complete as an excellent fantasy novel, down to nail polish trends, what was playing on the radio and in the movie theatre, and cultural trends, including what was on the national radar for news and concerns. I am not able to pin down WHY the story needed to be set in 1999 (note: are books set in 1999 historical? Am I … OLD?), but it works, and for this Gen-X reader, it was an accessible, authentic, and validating stroll down memory lane populated with landlines, malls, black trench coats, and misguided homophobia.

Point of view shifts from the Evans to law enforcement, availing readers to multigenerational perspectives. The characterizations are strong and distinct, and the dialogue is snappy and funny (“There’ll be time for math after the zombie apocalypse, points out one teenage character eager to help.”) It’s juxtaposed with truly disgusting descriptions of stomach-turning gore. To be able to balance humor, pathos and horror so wonderfully and viscerally is a true skill; Bless Your Heart is recommended or fans of Breathers: a Zombie’s Lament, Sookie Stackhouse mysteries, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sadly, it will not be out in time for Halloween, and is slated for publication in April 2024.

Side note: I love the vibrantly colored, flat, cut-paper collage look of the cover!

I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #BlessYourHeart from #NetGalley.

Sep23

An Unlikely Proposition by Rosalyn Eves

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Eves, Rosalyn. An Unlikely Proposition. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024. 304pp. ISBN 9780374390273 $20.99

***

Widow Eleanor Lockhart would like to retain the wealth that her husband left to her; if she remarries, she will lose it and his next of kin will receive it. Her husband’s greedy nephew George is pressuring her to marry–him, or anyone else, so she announces a fake engagement to her friend Henry Salisbury, much to the disappointment of her new ladies companion, Thalia, who harbors a crush on Mr. Salisbury.

Luckily for Thalia, Eleanor is falling for the lower class son of a jeweler and man of science who she has retained to decipher and help publish her late husband’s work (which is beyond her female brain to understand???). Owen Jones is a sturdy and steady match for her, but not a member of the ton.

Thalia is still recovering from the scandal of last season, and details her trials and tribulations in her perfectly adolescent and tongue in cheek horrible poetry, which becomes one of the more delightful elements of the narrative.

Drama and romance edge on darkness–men are greedy, powerful, and threatening. When the naive girls attend a Cyprian’s ball intended for loose women and prostitutes to mingle with prospective men who will take them as mistresses, they have no idea the danger they are putting themselves in, and the near miss sexual assualt adds a level of gritty seriousness to an otherwise lighthearted period romance.

The historical details give an authentic sense of time and place, from balls to dress to meals to manners. This companion novel to An Impropable Season will find its audience among fans of Bridgerton and Jane Austen.

Sep23

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor

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A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor

Janna MacGregor. A Duke in Time (The Widow Rules, #1). St Martin’s Press, 2021. 400 pp. ISBN 9781250761590

***

First in a series of friendship between the widows of an (unbeknownst to them!) polyamorous man. Seamstress Katherine is shocked upon meeting the solicitor to discover her late husband has two other wives, and the potential scandal could ruin her business prospects. Her husband Meri’s brother Christian, the Duke of Ransford, steps up (just in time) to offer help and support, and swoon-worthy romance ensues.

I loved reading a story about wronged women coming together to help each other out, and bonding instead of tearing each other apart.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #ADukeInTime from #NetGalley.

Sep10

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman

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Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman

Grossman, Felicia. Marry Me By Midnight. Grand Central Publishing, 2023. 400 pp ISBN 9781538722541 $8.99

*****

In this reverse Cinderella tale, it is the princess (in this case, wealthy heiress) who must marry to save the family’s kingdom (business) and falls for a handsome, kind and impoverished housekeeper (synagogue custodian) who loves to tell stories and makes friends with the mice. Isabelle has yet to celebrate the first yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of her beloved father, a shrewd businessman who co-owned a sureties company with the prominent Bebar family. Because there are two Bebars, and just one Lira; as a women and Jewess, with her father gone, the balance will shift decidedly against her father, and the Bebars are pressuring her to pick a brother to marry. Savvy Isabelle knows marriage to a Bebar will spell the demise of a career she likes and is good at, so even though the calendar is during the counting of the Omer, Isabella is planning a series of three balls to entertain eligible bachelors interested in winning her hand. She employs Aaron as her henchman to get the dirt on her potential suitors, falling for his sweet character, sexy good looks, and their explosive chemistry. The tension stems from the fact that their life circumstances are very different, and also, she’s technically acting as his boss.

Grossman excels at writing detail, describing setting, couture, and cuisine alongside eighteenth-century mores. The plot moves at a great pace, and this was unputdownable. Best of all, Isabelle knows what she wants and speaks her mind, including in the love scenes, a bold, twenty-three-year-old virgin with healthy drives, healthy curiosity, an awareness that Jewish husbands are obligated to provide pleasure to their partners. The actual act is left off the page, but the foreplay is stunningly hot.

Through it all, Grossman weaves in history and culture, particularly around the way Jews are portrayed and regarded. The author’s note at the back is a well-researched and engaging essay that sets in context the fairy tales she draws on. Her clear and direct explanation of the nuances of anti-Semitism in late eighteenth century Europe that should be required reading for every high school student on the planet. I learned so much, and it dovetailed beautifully with the story Grossman she told.

I received a free advance reader’s edition of #MarryMeByMidnight from #NetGalley — I also WON a copy through a Jewish Romance Giveaway.

Sep1

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

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The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

Beaird, Rowan. The Divorcees. Flatiron Books, 2024. 272 pp. ISBN 9781250896582. $28.99

*****

In this circa 1950 historical novel set on a Nevada horse ranch, Lois’s prominent father has paid for her stay at the exclusive and highly rated Golden Yarrow, a boardinghouse in Reno for estranged wives to live in while the required waiting period for a quickie divorce passes. Although they are supposed to prove they are residents and testify their intent to remain in Nevada, few stay once the judge makes his declaration. The Golden Yarrow Ranch is run by two women who mother and advise, and just require a daily check in so their guests can meet the residency requirement. Lois, desiring to remain childless and escape a loveless marriage, is perpetually awkward and feels she has never really fit in anywhere. She at first behaves as she believes her father would want: staying in, being very careful with her money, keeping to herself. When mysterious, glamorous Greer arrives with a bruise blooming on her cheek and gets her meals served on trays, information becomes currency to the girls who wonder if an Astor or movie star is in their midst, and curious Lois wants to be the first to know.

Greer eventually appears, and becomes a mean girl ring leader of sorts, determining with a detached coolness who’s in and who’s out, setting little tasks of petty thievery and vandalism for the house’s girls while out and about on the town in bars and casinos. Lois is eager to please and gain Greer’s approval, and counts herself lucky that Greer wants to spend time with her in between hikes, swimming, riding, and visits to lawyers.

This is a deliciously atmospheric book, meticulously researched, well-written, and perfectly paced–the narrative deliberately proceeds as sluggishly as a six-week wait in the desert, sans air-conditioning, to get divorced to a man you know longer wish to be married to. The respite the pool provides, the flashbacks to drowning, the metaphor of being desperate for the relief of water that is also dangerous and unpredictable, is so beautifully, subtly, and masterfully done. The casinos and bars where misbehavior takes place are literally and figuratively dark, smoky, seedy foils for the sunny desert. The characterizations are strong and memorable, and the period details from fashion and manners to cultural allusions and expressions set the story firmly in place and time, on the cusp of the women’s liberation movement. As in Lessons In Chemistry, the patriarchal overtones and occasional violence will make modern readers cringe, and it’s a great read-a-like for fans of Bonnie Garmus.

I received a free, advance reader’s edition of #TheDivorcees from #NetGalley.

May29

His Improper Lady by Candace Camp

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His Improper Lady by Candace Camp

Camp, Candace. His Improper Lady. (Mad Morelands) Harlequin, 2021. ISBN 9781335966520 $9.99

***

In this historical romantic suspense novel, detective Tom Quick, an orphan himself, joins forces with thief Desiree Malone after she breaks into his office to looking for clues that might help her locate the aristocratic father she’s never known. One of her finds might have a clue to Tom’s past…

The plotting is strong and the intriguing twists and turns will have the reader powering through. Because this was more mystery than romance, it did not hold as strong appeal for me, but the writing and details are good, the connections compelling, and the air of the supernatural appealing.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HisImproperLady from #NetGalley

May29

I’m Only Wicked With You by Julie Anne Long

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I’m Only Wicked With You by Julie Anne Long

Long, Julie Anne. I’m Only Wicked With You (The Palace of Rogues, #3). Avon/Harper Voyager, 2021. ISBN 9780063045088. $8.99

*****

This poetically written novel brings Regency manners, details and culture alongside natural history and allusions to Shakespeare and Greek mythology. A period romance, Hugh Cassidy meets Lady Lillias Vaughn when she and her family are staying at the same boardinghouse as he, and though she is essentially grounded for unladylike behavior, they are frequently forced in mandatory socializing (the rules of the Grand Palace on the Thames are a great construct to bring a diverse set of characters together!). He’s a veteran, laborer, and entrepreneur on a mission to recover a friend’s missing daughter, and while she is an enigma, quiet in the corner until provoked, an incorrigible young woman who chafes at societal expectations. Her exasperated father tells her she must find a man to marry or he will find one for her. Of course, he means a duke, not an ambitious American…

The narrative is steamy, emotional, humorous, and heart-pounding, and the slow tease of attraction is delicious. When Hugh and Lillias are inevitably caught in a compromising embrace, they are hastily engaged–with her parent’s blessings, much to Lillias’s shock. There’s just one small problem: they each believe they are in love with someone else. And so, in spite of the lust between them, Hugh offers to help Lillias catch the man she’s set her cap for, family friend Giles Bankham, who is betrothed to another. This only brings out Hugh’s competitive nature, and serves to show how well-suited Hugh and Lillias are. While everyone around her views her as “more,” they really mean, “too much” — but for Hugh, she’s just right.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #I’mOnlyWickedWithYou from #NetGalley.

Reviews of other titles in The Palace of Rogues series

Lady Derring Takes a Lover

Angel in a Devil’s Arms

How to Tame a Wild Rogue

You Were Made to be Mine

A Night With a Rogue

My Season of Scandal

May29

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

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The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

Sebastian, Cat. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. Avon/Harper Voyager, 2021. 352 pp. ISBN 9780063026216 $15.99

***1/2
This was the first queer duke-on-duke romance I’ve read, and it contained well-balanced action, emotion, intrigue and romance in a historical setting. Kit, disabled, has a shady past and has abandoned his life of crime to run a coffee shop. Aristocrat Percy seeks Kit for hire to recover his mother’s book. A changed man, Kit won’t participate in the crime, but WILL give lessons to ensure Percy’s success. Time spent in proximity leads to friendship and then more.

Although in the past he has only been with women, Percy is compelling, and Kit doesn’t question the attraction, which might be out of place for a Georgian-era setting. I am not a fan of mystery in general, and did find myself skimming a bit through the slow burn.

It took me almost two years to sit down and write a review because I just didn’t love it in the way I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, which also pairs an aristocrat and commoner, and a person who mostly dated women with someone who exclusively dates men.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheQueerPrinciplesOfKitWebb from #NetGalley.

May18

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Garmus, Bonnie. Lessons in Chemistry. Doubleday, 2022. 400 pp. ISBN 978-0385547345 $29.00.

*****

Elizabeth Zott, an opinionated, smart, and talented aspiring chemist tries to further her research and runs into male privilege, under-equipped labs, lack of funding, and sexual assault–until procuring beakers from another scientist gets her noticed by Nobel Prize winner Cal Evans. They develop a mutually respectful and lovely relationship, where a rescue dog named Six-Thirty completes their child-free family–until Cal suffers a tragedy and Elizabeth finds herself with a child out of wedlock. The novel centers around how Elizabeth came to star on a popular television show Supper At Six, where each recipe has a foundation in chemistry, sending housewives to the store for sodium chloride and acetic acid. Her deconstruction of cultural norms that hold women back and encouragement of fans to follow their dreams make her both popular and a threat. My most favorite part was Elizabeth’s attempt to teach the dog English vocabulary–and the dog’s narration.

The writing was so absolutely stellar–funny, poignant, infuriating, and magical, peopled with impossible and flawed characters. Modern women will shudder at how little we’ve come since the sixties. The sport of rowing plays a major role, as does chemistry, and these elements elevate the story from a mere romance to something really special. The many accolades are well-deserved; this is a powerful debut novel.

I listened to Lessons In Chemistry via Audible and the narration was crisply delivered with unique voicing for each distinct character. This is a fabulous readalike for fans of science-y books about women overlooked, featuring strong women and research, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot or Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax.

I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #LessonsInChemistry from #NetGalley.