Posts tagged with historical-fiction
A Magic Steeped in Poison, by Judy I. Lin
Judy I. Lin's A Magic Steeped in Poison is a fun novel by any standard, and a really impressive debut. In Lin's Chinese- and Taiwanese-inspired historical fantasy, a girl named Ning is desperate to cure her dying sister. Ning's only hope is winning the shennong-shi trials—a high-court competition of magical tea-brewing, with a royal boon as the grand prize. Armed with her late mother's tea knowledge, Ning...
The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, by Ella Quinn
On the back cover of Ella Quinn's novel The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, there's a glowing promotional blurb by novelist Grace Burrowes: “Lady Phoebe is a heroine Georgette Heyer would adore—plucky, pretty, and well worth the devotion of the dashing Lord Marcus. A marvelous find for Regency romance readers.” Burrowes is lucky there's no such thing as a Better Business Bureau for romance novel promo quotes, because that comment is a pack of liiiiiies...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, by Ella Quinn
This week's Book Giveaway is Ella Quinn's romance novel The Seduction of Lady Phoebe. The promotional quote on the back name-drops Georgette Heyer (always a dangerous comparison to make, IMO), so we'll see if it can live up to such high praise. A full review will follow shortly...
When a Duchess Says I Do, by Grace Burrowes
It's been several months since my last attempt at finding a new-to-me historical romance novelist whose work I actually like, so once again I'm choosing an author at random off a bookstore shelf. Sure, Grace Burrowes's When a Duchess Says I Do is covered in glowing testimonials from her fellow writers, but I've been misled before...
Weekly Book Giveaway: When a Duchess Says I Do, by Grace Burrowes
Our latest Book Giveaway is When a Duchess Says I Do, the second book in Grace Burrowes's Rogues to Riches series. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer
Our latest Book Giveaway is Georgette Heyer's The Talisman Ring, one of the author's most delightfully ridiculous books (and my favorite of her non-Regency historical novels). A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
How many princesses can she have left?
The trailer is out for The Spanish Princess, the latest adaptation of Philippa Gregory's endless series of historical novels about British royal women. I know that Henry VIII was considered quite a looker in his youth, and...
Devil's Daughter, by Lisa Kleypas
After three mediocre-ranging-to-outright-disappointing installments in her Ravenels series, Lisa Kleypas has made an unexpected return to form. With Devil's Daughter, we are suddenly back to her normal solid work...
Frederica, by Georgette Heyer
Orignally published in 1965, Georgette Heyer's novel Frederica is once again available, this time as part of Sourcebooks' charmingly packaged “Georgette Heyer Signature Collection”. Frederica falls just a hair short of Heyer's best work, but pretty much any other historical romance novelist would consider this their masterpiece...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Frederica, by Georgette Heyer
It's been a while since I've reviewed a Georgette Heyer novel, and luckily there are some brand-new editions of her books for me to enjoy! This week's book giveaway is Heyer's Frederica, originally published in 1965...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Dark Days Deceit, by Alison Goodman
This week's Book Giveaway is The Dark Days Deceit, the final book in Alison Goodman's ambitious Lady Helen trilogy. Thus far, this has been a series I've admired more than I've loved, but I never count Goodman out—I get distracted by her elaborate plotting and world-building, but her stories can deliver an unexpected emotional punch. A full review will follow shortly...
Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller
I am always on the lookout for promising new historical romance novelists, so I was delighted to encounter Renee Ann Miller's Never Dare a Wicked Earl. Sure, I've read more compelling romance and more ambitious historical fiction, but this was a thoroughly respectable, entertaining combination of the two—and that's harder to find than you'd think...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller
This week's Book Giveaway is Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller. It appears to be her first book, but I'm not at all surprised she was already signed for a series—this is a really solid debut. A full review will...
Snowdrift and Other Stories, by Georgette Heyer
I am a die-hard Georgette Heyer fan and have sincerely loved Sourcebooks' elegant, well-made reprints of her work, so it pains me to say this, but despite the great cover art and a couple of solid entries, the short story collection Snowdrift is for Heyer completists only...
Girl Waits With Gun, by Amy Stewart
I usually avoid novels about historical figures, because I'm constantly wondering how much of the story is real and how much is invented. But as far as I can discover, there is very little known about Constance Kopp, the heroine of Amy Stewart's novel Girl Waits With Gun, so the author was able to let her imagination run wild—something she does with wit, style, and charm...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Girl Waits With Gun, by Amy Stewart
This week's Book Giveaway is Amy Stewart's 2015 novel Girl Waits With Gun, which I freely admit I picked up solely because I liked the cover. Thankfully, thus far I like the story, too, but a full review will follow shortly...
The Unknown Ajax, by Georgette Heyer
First published in 1959, Georgette Heyer's The Unknown Ajax is one of my all-time favorite books. It has a lot in common with The Grand Sophy—both are stories about a previously unknown relative showing up and taking charge of a troubled family—but The Unknown Ajax, happily, doesn't feature a scene with an offensive Jewish stereotype...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Unknown Ajax, by Georgette Heyer
This week's Book Giveaway is The Unknown Ajax, one of my favorite books by Georgette Heyer. The title refers to a character in one of Shakespeare's messier tragedies (Troilus and Cressida), but, thankfully, Heyer's storytelling is considerably more fun. A full review will follow shortly...
Historical romance with under-explored history
I was recently skimming the romance reviews on the website Dear Author, and I ran across the historical romance A Delicate Affair, written by Lindsay Evans and set in 1902. This is an unusual era for romance writers to explore, and I was even more intrigued by the novel's backstory...
If I'm feeling brave
I clicked on this article about an upcoming stop-motion kids' movie because of my love for Jordan Peele, but I'm less interested in the kids' movie than the Peele-produced project mentioned at the very end: Lovecraft Country, based on the novel by Matt Ruff...
Hello Stranger, by Lisa Kleypas
Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas's fourth Ravenels book, has an unexpected virtue: it makes me much fonder of Marrying Winterbourne, the second installment in the series. When I first read Marrying Winterbourne, I complained about...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Hello Stranger, by Lisa Kleypas
This week's Book Giveaway is Hello Stranger, the fourth book in Lisa Kleypas's Ravenels series. I have been underwhelmed by this series thus far, but I do want to give props to Ms. Kleypas's cover artist for fixing the sleeve situation. A full review will be posted shortly...
The Duchess Deal, by Tessa Dare
After dipping our romance-reading toes into a workplace romantic comedy, a historical suspense novel, and a sexy angst-fest, it's time for an old favorite: a Regency romance...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Duchess Deal, by Tessa Dare
And the last title in our month of romance-themed Book Giveaways is Tessa Dare's The Duchess Deal, the first installment in her 'Girl Meets Duke' series. (I fully approve of that series title, by the way. Evocative!) A full review will follow shortly, but already I feel confident saying that this will appeal to fans of Julia Quinn and Suzanne Enoch...
An Extraordinary Union, by Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union is ambitious: it's a Civil War-era action/romance featuring a biracial couple, both of whom were inspired by real historical figures. (The heroine is based on Mary Bowser, the hero on Timothy Webster.) Cole doesn't stick every landing, but her story succeeds on an impressive number of fronts...
Weekly Book Giveaway: An Extraordinary Union, by Alyssa Cole
Continuing our month-long celebration of romance novels, this week's Book Giveaway is Alyssa Cole's historical romance/adventure An Extraordinary Union. I'm only about halfway through it, but thus far the romance stuff is fine, but a bit of a distraction from the A+++ spy action. A full review will follow shortly...
The Duke of Her Desire, by Sophie Barnes
As longtime readers of this site know, I periodically attempt to find a new-to-me great historical romance novelist by grabbing random books off Target shelves. I still haven't discovered the next Lisa Kleypas, but hope springs eternal and the romance section at Target is frequently re-stocked...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Duke of Her Desire, by Sophie Barnes
This week's Book Giveaway is Sophie Barnes's historical romance The Duke of Her Desire. I am weirdly irritated by the fact that the model on the cover doesn't appear to be wearing a corset or anything under her dress, but experience has taught me that this is probably not the biggest historical inaccuracy I will encounter. Our review will be posted shortly...
The Tell-Tale Heart (plus corn)
Here's the trailer for (yet another) Stephen King movie adaptation, in case you were longing for more. The movie is based on King's novella 1922, and is currently available to stream on Netflix. I haven't read the short story, but...
The Grand Sophy, by Georgette Heyer
It's tough for most Georgette Heyer fans to choose their favorite of her novels*, but I think it's telling that The Grand Sophy is her first book to get a big-budget movie adaptation. (Allegedly, although I'm not getting my hopes up.) The Grand Sophy is a lively, witty, unabashedly good time, and perfectly encapsulates Heyer's appeal...