Musings of the Obsessive Kind

Btw, did anyone notice that the church in which Ja Rok was trying his fake confession in was the same church in with Joo Won and Eugene got married in in Baker King?

( Mainly Do Jin/Yi Soo, with some Yoon/Maeri )

I was extremely reluctant to try Elizabeth Vaughan's adventure/romance Warprize (too little romance to be a proper romance novel, too much romance to be an adventure novel. It makes me think of a woman-centric take on those pulpy novels from the turn of the 20th century).

Our heroine, Xylara, is a princess of a medieval-type kingdom but, more importantly, is a skilled doctor. She is getting plenty of work - her kingdom is at war. Eventually, the capital itself gets besieged by fierce barbarians known as 'Firelanders,' led by a fearsome warlord who's been sweeping all lands before him. Despite the orders of her horrid brother, the current king, Xylara tends to the enemy wounded as well. Eventually, the king decides to surrender and the barbarian warlord demands Xylara as a war prize. Xylara's brother is only too happy to get rid of her and Xylara decides to go along with it in order to get peace for the people. She expects rapey times or human sacrifice, but instead she finds herself treated with respect, gets involved in setting up a medical practice in the barbarian camp, and is shocked to discover the warlord (who is the foreigner she met while treating the prisoners. Note to self - if one's kingdom is besieged by a barbarian horde, take time to have encounters with foreign-sounding hottie. That might be your way to becoming barbarian queen) has no intention of forcing his attentions on her. Too bad someone(s) are trying to kill her and the warlord, to disrupt the peace.

The set-up - a fantasy medieval-type world where the heroine gets claimed by a victorious 'barbarian' warlord as a prize from a defeated kingdom, had sooooooo many ways in which it could go wrong or plain horrific. But I was craving a pulpy romance and it had a hella lot of recs, so I decided to take a chance. I am so glad I did! I loved it to bits and have already got parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy on my kindle.

First (and I can't believe that I even have to state it, but such is the world of romance novels), there is no raping or forced attentions of any kind. Second, the hero is hot and alpha without being a bastard and heroine is competent and level-headed without having all sorts of Mary-Suish abilities (she is a very competent doctor but is not skilled in fighting or similar). There is also plot and adventures. Plus, while the world-building isn't particularly amazing, it's competent and is certainly something different from the tired "sexy Duke loves impoverished but genteel heroine" trope that annoys the hell out of me.

Anyway, very fun.

Not really related as the hero of the book above seems to be normally endowed, but is having dudes with two penises a new thing in fantasy romance/erotica? I've ran into two books with that set-up recently, from two different authors, and am very very boggled. For the love of my sanity, stop with that, authors! Every time you do it, it disrupts anything you are trying to achieve and just makes me laugh like a maniac.

I was extremely reluctant to try Elizabeth Vaughan's adventure/romance Warprize (too little romance to be a proper romance novel, too much romance to be an adventure novel. It makes me think of a woman-centric take on those pulpy novels from the turn of the 20th century).

Our heroine, Xylara, is a princess of a medieval-type kingdom but, more importantly, is a skilled doctor. She is getting plenty of work - her kingdom is at war. Eventually, the capital itself gets besieged by fierce barbarians known as 'Firelanders,' led by a fearsome warlord who's been sweeping all lands before him. Despite the orders of her horrid brother, the current king, Xylara tends to the enemy wounded as well. Eventually, the king decides to surrender and the barbarian warlord demands Xylara as a war prize. Xylara's brother is only too happy to get rid of her and Xylara decides to go along with it in order to get peace for the people. She expects rapey times or human sacrifice, but instead she finds herself treated with respect, gets involved in setting up a medical practice in the barbarian camp, and is shocked to discover the warlord (who is the foreigner she met while treating the prisoners. Note to self - if one's kingdom is besieged by a barbarian horde, take time to have encounters with foreign-sounding hottie. That might be your way to becoming barbarian queen) has no intention of forcing his attentions on her. Too bad someone(s) are trying to kill her and the warlord, to disrupt the peace.

The set-up - a fantasy medieval-type world where the heroine gets claimed by a victorious 'barbarian' warlord as a prize from a defeated kingdom, had sooooooo many ways in which it could go wrong or plain horrific. But I was craving a pulpy romance and it had a hella lot of recs, so I decided to take a chance. I am so glad I did! I loved it to bits and have already got parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy on my kindle.

First (and I can't believe that I even have to state it, but such is the world of romance novels), there is no raping or forced attentions of any kind. Second, the hero is hot and alpha without being a bastard and heroine is competent and level-headed without having all sorts of Mary-Suish abilities (she is a very competent doctor but is not skilled in fighting or similar). There is also plot and adventures. Plus, while the world-building isn't particularly amazing, it's competent and is certainly something different from the tired "sexy Duke loves impoverished but genteel heroine" trope that annoys the hell out of me.

Anyway, very fun.

Not really related as the hero of the book above seems to be normally endowed, but is having dudes with two penises a new thing in fantasy romance/erotica? I've ran into two books with that set-up recently, from two different authors, and am very very boggled. For the love of my sanity, stop with that, authors! Every time you do it, it disrupts anything you are trying to achieve and just makes me laugh like a maniac.

If you are looking for a swoony romantic movie with two really hot people, may I recommend "Three Steps Above Heaven," a Spanish adaptation of an Italian best-seller. (The novel has also been adopted into an Italian version but since I haven't seen it, I cannot comment on it).

Tres Metros' narrative revolves around a love story between two young people who couldn't be more different - Babi is an upper-class good girl with spine and Hache is a violent, troubled young man who is heading for a likely future in jail (and I like that he really is a headcase, not a movie version of a very curable bad boy). Their attraction is vivid but can their relationship work? ( Spoiler for the ending ) Apparently there is a sequel in the works. Mmmm.

Have an unspoilery MV:



A guy this hot? (Honestly, his smirky shirtlessness almost makes me want to swallow my tongue). I'd go slumming too :P

Also, I think I now have the perfect leads for my fantasy adaptation of 'Beautiful Disaster.'

If you need links, PM me or leave a comment and I'll pm you.

Short version: pretty good batch.

Long version:

Meljean Brooks - "Heart of Steel". Oh, that one was such a disappointment. Her first intallment in the steampunk Universe, "The Iron Duke," is one of the rare romances I genuinely love. I was looking forward to reading about the lady airship captain/pirate Yasmeen and the archeologist adventurer Archimedes Fox, who were minor characters in The Iron Duke. Alas, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. HoS feels like it has a concept and outline of a good book but it's like a frustrating outline - nothing is fleshed out enough - not the conspiracy, not the characters and their relationships or their past. The books is simply too short. Yasmeen is not my type of heroine but I liked her OK - I just didn't know enough about her to get invested. And Archimedes would normally be the character type I'd go rabid for but the same applied to him - I didn't know enough about him to care. The reason The Iron Duke worked so well for me was that the amazing world-building was combined with the leads I loved and felt were real - Mina and Rhys felt like fully-drawn people. Also, and a little surprisingly, this book is very low on sex scenes. I don't need sex scenes in my books but just a little warning if you are looking for something 'spicy.'

Anna Campbell - "Captive of Sin." Lady Charis escapes from her abusive stepbrothers who seek to marry her off for her fortune and is rescued by Gideon Trevithik, a recently returned 'acclaimed war hero' who is more messed-up than any hero I've come across all year, or close. For one, he cannot bear to be touched by anyone. I adored this book mainly because this is pretty much one x-rated hurt/comfort fantasy. If ever a novel catered specifically to my kinks, this is it - mmmmm, so perfect. Also, it's a good character piece - Charis and Gideon both feel very real and are just such very good people - genuinely good and noble despite some horrible stuff in their past. I rooted for them like mad.

Marsha Canham - "Blood of Roses." This is a sequel to The Pride of Lions and I shocked myself by loving this book to bits, seeing that TPoL left me pretty cold - I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't smitten. I'd say skip TPoL and go straight for this awesome novel. In TPoL, Catherine Ashbrooke, a spoiled English noblewoman was forced by her father to marry a Scottish nobleman, Alexander Cameron, after they were caught in a compromising situation. Love bloomed, bad guys were overcome, blahblah and you'd think they'd settle to a life of married bliss, only - the year was 1745. (Side note: is there a whole subgenre in which English ladies marry Scottish aristocrats who get involved in Jacobite uprisings? First there were the Kilgannon books by Katherine Givens (even if the uprising there was 1715 and the characters quite different) and now this. Seeing how much I loved both Kilgannon books now BoR, I think I need to delve more into this). At the end of TPoL, Alexander sends Catherine back to England for safety, telling her that if she wants to, she can pretend to be a widow, and himself joins the rebellion. This is where BoR starts. I loved loved LOVED this book. Alexander mellowed out and Catherine grew up, so their relationship was that of true equals. There are real obstacles and danger and angst. Plus, I am a sucker for the 'couple already committed facing the world together' trope which happens pretty rarely in romance or other novels (maybe because I am an old married lady, but the 'falling in love' part of the story rarely catches my attention). There are battles, angsty separations (and hot reunions), more h/c than you can shake a stick at, and just general awesomeness. Warning: the death-toll in this one is huge.

Meredith Duran - "Written on Your Skin" and "Bound by Your Touch." Ah, Ms. Duran, I thought we could be friends after I read your "A Lady's Lesson in Scandal" (about a working class woman who discovers she is a long-lost daughter of an earl). I loved that book. But I am forced to conclude it was a fluke because both Skin and Touch were drowning in overwrought prose, had hero and heroine I disliked, and nothing happened. Sure, there is a pretence of a plot (faked Egyptian antiques and shady businessmen being hunted by spies, respectively) but blah.

Roberta Gellis - "Siren Song" - more of a history novel than a romance, I loved this one. A nobleman is sent by Henry III into a household of one of Henry's brother's retainers to check if the retainer is plotting treason. Nobleman falls for retainer's pretty, pragmatic daughter, but the real focus is on William and Elizabeth - the retainer and the wife of the neighbor who loved each other years ago. The characters are well-drawn, the medieval world feels real and so do the mores, and I loved every character I was supposed to love. Go read it now.

Elizabeth Hoyt - "To Desire a Devil" - in addition to 'English lady falls for Scottish rebel' subgenre, there also must be a 'heroine falls for PTSD soldier' subgenre. I love this subgenre, apparently. Reynaud was missing for 7 years as a result of the French and Indian War and presumed dead. In reality, he was a captive of an American Indian tribe and he's finally made his way home to reclaim his title and discover who betrayed his regiment. The common-sense, smart Beatrice, the niece of the person who 'inherited' the title in his absence might help with that (as well as help convincing society he isn't mad). Despite the book title, both Beatrice and Reynaud are good people who do not need reform, even if hero needs to learn to open up - both to emotion and about his trauma.

Shannon McKenna - "Edge of Midnight." girlfriday10, where are you? This book has your name all over it. Anyway, if you love super-alpha heroes beyond devoted to the tough heroine, this is the book for you. Our hero Sean, former mercenary/soldier/stuntman/every other alpha occupation known to man, has only two regrets - one is the apparent suicide of his twin brother years ago, and the other breaking the heart of Liv Endicott, the only woman he's ever loved, in order to save her life. Only now Liv's life is under threat again, they are thrown together, sparks fly etc - this is not erotica but it comes close - this book has a hella very graphic sex. It's pretty graphic in other ways - a gruesome killer and a demented scientist both figure prominently. Heroine is a badass who dispatches one of the two chief bad guys, I loved the hero, and this is a fun fun ride. Secondary OTP made me want to drown them (she was too dim to exist and he was a jerk) but we can't have everything. I think I might seek other books in this series.

Terese J. Reasor - "Highland Moonlight." Why does every hero of a Scottish romance get named Alexander? I know Scotland was a poor land, but I am sure they could afford more than one name! Anyway, this is pretty low-key but likeable medieval romance of the protagonists learning to work out the issues in their marriage and get past understandable trust issues.

Patricia Veryan - "Time's Fool" and "Had We Never Loved." I was just rereading these - part 1 and 2 of the Tales of the Jeweled Men. I talked about them elsewhere so I will just say they are just as good on the umpteenth reread - I adore the heroes and the heroines and the supporting characters and the adventure and the romance.

Short version: pretty good batch.

Long version:

Meljean Brooks - "Heart of Steel". Oh, that one was such a disappointment. Her first intallment in the steampunk Universe, "The Iron Duke," is one of the rare romances I genuinely love. I was looking forward to reading about the lady airship captain/pirate Yasmeen and the archeologist adventurer Archimedes Fox, who were minor characters in The Iron Duke. Alas, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. HoS feels like it has a concept and outline of a good book but it's like a frustrating outline - nothing is fleshed out enough - not the conspiracy, not the characters and their relationships or their past. The books is simply too short. Yasmeen is not my type of heroine but I liked her OK - I just didn't know enough about her to get invested. And Archimedes would normally be the character type I'd go rabid for but the same applied to him - I didn't know enough about him to care. The reason The Iron Duke worked so well for me was that the amazing world-building was combined with the leads I loved and felt were real - Mina and Rhys felt like fully-drawn people. Also, and a little surprisingly, this book is very low on sex scenes. I don't need sex scenes in my books but just a little warning if you are looking for something 'spicy.'

Anna Campbell - "Captive of Sin." Lady Charis escapes from her abusive stepbrothers who seek to marry her off for her fortune and is rescued by Gideon Trevithik, a recently returned 'acclaimed war hero' who is more messed-up than any hero I've come across all year, or close. For one, he cannot bear to be touched by anyone. I adored this book mainly because this is pretty much one x-rated hurt/comfort fantasy. If ever a novel catered specifically to my kinks, this is it - mmmmm, so perfect. Also, it's a good character piece - Charis and Gideon both feel very real and are just such very good people - genuinely good and noble despite some horrible stuff in their past. I rooted for them like mad.

Marsha Canham - "Blood of Roses." This is a sequel to The Pride of Lions and I shocked myself by loving this book to bits, seeing that TPoL left me pretty cold - I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't smitten. I'd say skip TPoL and go straight for this awesome novel. In TPoL, Catherine Ashbrooke, a spoiled English noblewoman was forced by her father to marry a Scottish nobleman, Alexander Cameron, after they were caught in a compromising situation. Love bloomed, bad guys were overcome, blahblah and you'd think they'd settle to a life of married bliss, only - the year was 1745. (Side note: is there a whole subgenre in which English ladies marry Scottish aristocrats who get involved in Jacobite uprisings? First there were the Kilgannon books by Katherine Givens (even if the uprising there was 1715 and the characters quite different) and now this. Seeing how much I loved both Kilgannon books now BoR, I think I need to delve more into this). At the end of TPoL, Alexander sends Catherine back to England for safety, telling her that if she wants to, she can pretend to be a widow, and himself joins the rebellion. This is where BoR starts. I loved loved LOVED this book. Alexander mellowed out and Catherine grew up, so their relationship was that of true equals. There are real obstacles and danger and angst. Plus, I am a sucker for the 'couple already committed facing the world together' trope which happens pretty rarely in romance or other novels (maybe because I am an old married lady, but the 'falling in love' part of the story rarely catches my attention). There are battles, angsty separations (and hot reunions), more h/c than you can shake a stick at, and just general awesomeness. Warning: the death-toll in this one is huge.

Meredith Duran - "Written on Your Skin" and "Bound by Your Touch." Ah, Ms. Duran, I thought we could be friends after I read your "A Lady's Lesson in Scandal" (about a working class woman who discovers she is a long-lost daughter of an earl). I loved that book. But I am forced to conclude it was a fluke because both Skin and Touch were drowning in overwrought prose, had hero and heroine I disliked, and nothing happened. Sure, there is a pretence of a plot (faked Egyptian antiques and shady businessmen being hunted by spies, respectively) but blah.

Roberta Gellis - "Siren Song" - more of a history novel than a romance, I loved this one. A nobleman is sent by Henry III into a household of one of Henry's brother's retainers to check if the retainer is plotting treason. Nobleman falls for retainer's pretty, pragmatic daughter, but the real focus is on William and Elizabeth - the retainer and the wife of the neighbor who loved each other years ago. The characters are well-drawn, the medieval world feels real and so do the mores, and I loved every character I was supposed to love. Go read it now.

Elizabeth Hoyt - "To Desire a Devil" - in addition to 'English lady falls for Scottish rebel' subgenre, there also must be a 'heroine falls for PTSD soldier' subgenre. I love this subgenre, apparently. Reynaud was missing for 7 years as a result of the French and Indian War and presumed dead. In reality, he was a captive of an American Indian tribe and he's finally made his way home to reclaim his title and discover who betrayed his regiment. The common-sense, smart Beatrice, the niece of the person who 'inherited' the title in his absence might help with that (as well as help convincing society he isn't mad). Despite the book title, both Beatrice and Reynaud are good people who do not need reform, even if hero needs to learn to open up - both to emotion and about his trauma.

Shannon McKenna - "Edge of Midnight." girlfriday10, where are you? This book has your name all over it. Anyway, if you love super-alpha heroes beyond devoted to the tough heroine, this is the book for you. Our hero Sean, former mercenary/soldier/stuntman/every other alpha occupation known to man, has only two regrets - one is the apparent suicide of his twin brother years ago, and the other breaking the heart of Liv Endicott, the only woman he's ever loved, in order to save her life. Only now Liv's life is under threat again, they are thrown together, sparks fly etc - this is not erotica but it comes close - this book has a hella very graphic sex. It's pretty graphic in other ways - a gruesome killer and a demented scientist both figure prominently. Heroine is a badass who dispatches one of the two chief bad guys, I loved the hero, and this is a fun fun ride. Secondary OTP made me want to drown them (she was too dim to exist and he was a jerk) but we can't have everything. I think I might seek other books in this series.

Terese J. Reasor - "Highland Moonlight." Why does every hero of a Scottish romance get named Alexander? I know Scotland was a poor land, but I am sure they could afford more than one name! Anyway, this is pretty low-key but likeable medieval romance of the protagonists learning to work out the issues in their marriage and get past understandable trust issues.

Patricia Veryan - "Time's Fool" and "Had We Never Loved." I was just rereading these - part 1 and 2 of the Tales of the Jeweled Men. I talked about them elsewhere so I will just say they are just as good on the umpteenth reread - I adore the heroes and the heroines and the supporting characters and the adventure and the romance.

On a complete random whim, I tried Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (it was a rec of a rec of something else I got on Kindle)

I was looking forward to a fun romance novel.

Ummmm.

Ummmmmmm.

Note to self, read reviews first.

I have a ginormous, innate loathing for dom/sub stuff - it's irrational, but there it is. if someone tried that on me, they'd be missing limbs. The movie Secretary makes me want to scrub my skin off.

Guess what this book is about?

Heroine is a college senior who meets super-rich, super-screwed-up and super-kinky 27-yr-old hero and they embark on the most messed up relationship I've ever had the privilege to read about in a romance novel. Thankfully, though heroine is OK with dom-sub games, when s/m comes in, she ditches. The aaaangst. Also, I think heroine kinda looks like hero's abusive mother which is a whole other level of wrong.

If people are into BDSM or anything else as long as it involves consensual adults, it's their right, but reading about it for entertainment in graphic fashion and being supposed to root for the relationship - Good Lord.

I read this in increasing, horrified fascination, like looking at a trainwreck. I kept wanting to tell the heroine to run run run and I cheered when she dumped the hero at the end, after very sensibly telling him 'look, I don't mind bondage but you are into inflicting major pain and I am not into getting it, so this ain't going to work out, because even if you decided you liked me enough to give your preferences up, it isn't going to last because you'd be suppressing what you need, so find someone compatible.' But we are clearly supposed to think this is OMG!tragic when it is not. And there is a sequel in which they get back together - I flipped and they seem to find some sort of compromise and she is being very "I am going to need to get reassurance from your shrink" sensible, but seriously. Just no. I logically understand that it works for them but I am simply too vanilla for this.

I need to scrub my brain with bleach.

Bleach!

It's well-written BDSM erotica but (1) I was not looking for erotica or (2) BDSM. I wanted something like a modern Pride & Prejudice. Talk about shock.

Yes, I will make a drama post soon. I am taking a little break. Though if this is what I come across during it, maybe I shouldn't.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments! I do get some awesome anons and non-friends comments and after sleeping on it, I am less aggravated. I banned some people and from now on will flock any entries I think are with potential for drama, but the rest are staying open.

And now onto the topic of this post - latest romance novels I've been reading (in order from least-liked to most).

1. Gaelen Foley, My Irresistible Earl - oh, but sadly, quite resistible. Blahblah secret society, hero is an agent for same, heroine is fashionable widow and his first love. It was so boring - I never cared if both of them fell into a sinkhole and got eaten by an alien. Also, the hero is a major jerk - he is mad at heroine for not waiting for him but marrying someone else. After they were not engaged, he was gone for a year without contacting her in any way and she had a horrid family situation he knew about. WTF? Heroine didn't have enough personality to dislike.

2. Gaelen Foley, My Dangerous Duke - I am not sure how one makes a romance between an aristocratic killer for a secret patriotic order and the daughter of his enemies boring, but this book succeeded.

3. Laura Kinsale, The Shadow and the Star - everyone and their cousin recommended it. I liked it but didn't love it (and I wish the whole subplot about the cursed sword was dropped because pointless and I can see why some may think it orientalizing). Hero is a blond ninja virgin with major hangups about sex being evil who was adopted by English aristocrats in Hawaii. All it lacked was the author making him a vampire pirate. I liked him but I was all about the heroine, Leda, a very proper Victorian seamstress. I want to be her BFF in real life and for her to teach me when gloves are appropriate and how many inches one must have between self and gentleman friend when conversing. Book gets points for being the only romance novel I read which has first sexual encounter btw hero and heroine be more confusing and awkward than sexy as they are both virgins. I think Kinsale is a superior version of Foley for me - when I love her books, I really love them, but most of them don't leave me in exstacies. In case people need warnings for these things - mention/discussion of child abuse/rape, nothing graphic.

4. Loretta Chase, Captives of the Night - I met the protagonists of this novel, Leila Beaumont and Comte d'Esmond, as minor characters in Lord of Scoundrels, and have been panting to read about them ever since. Leila is a well-known portrait painter and d'Esmond is an agent on a mission, false identity and all. When her dissolute, criminal husband is murdered, they band together to discover who did it. It was a fun, solid novel. I prefer more angst in my romances (big shock, I am sure!) but this was v.v.v.v. good.

5. Gaelen Foley, The Pirate Prince - MY FAVORITE! And that is why I keep reading Foley books even though most of them range merely from 'meh' to 'OK' for me. When she writes something that works for me (this, The Duke) is really works! This combines pirates/sworn family enemies/hidden royalties tropes into one delicious, super-angsty mix. Prince Lazar of the tiny fictional kingdom of Ascencion (think Corsica) is the only survivor of the murdered royal family. He escaped when he was 13 and now, at 28, as a ruthless powerful pirate, he returns - not to rule the place or anything, mind you. He merely wants to complete his vendetta against the Monteverdi clan, whose head murdered his family and now runs the country. He plans the loot the place blind, execute all the Monteverdis, and make the Governor suffer by killing his beloved daughter in front of his eyes. And later, with his mission complete, he can finally kill himself. Yeah, Lazar is a dysfunctional suicidal mess. That is why I like this book. You know me and trainwrecks. Only his plans go awry when he meets Allegra Monteverdi - the target daughter in question - who is smart, fearless, is all about justice and reform, and with a hidden crush on the martyred boy-prince (and certainly won't believe this psycho is the same person, grown-up version). And so it goes, with them embarking on a passionate, dysfunctional, codependent relationship...Anyway, Lazar is mmmmm and Allegra is my girl-crush (she knifes the Big Bad in this and rescues Lazar, without bothering to dwell even for a second that she killed a man, how is that for a change of pace?) There are some tropes that may bother you that arise out of their dysfunction, but I had no problem with them (and no, I am not trying to obliquely indicate he rapes her). Also, Warning: mention/discussion of child rape/adult rape/drug use/suicide, nothing graphic. (That whole rape thing is a WEIRD trend in this latest batch. I wouldn't mind if it was short-lived).

Thank you, everyone, for your comments! I do get some awesome anons and non-friends comments and after sleeping on it, I am less aggravated. I banned some people and from now on will flock any entries I think are with potential for drama, but the rest are staying open.

And now onto the topic of this post - latest romance novels I've been reading (in order from least-liked to most).

1. Gaelen Foley, My Irresistible Earl - oh, but sadly, quite resistible. Blahblah secret society, hero is an agent for same, heroine is fashionable widow and his first love. It was so boring - I never cared if both of them fell into a sinkhole and got eaten by an alien. Also, the hero is a major jerk - he is mad at heroine for not waiting for him but marrying someone else. After they were not engaged, he was gone for a year without contacting her in any way and she had a horrid family situation he knew about. WTF? Heroine didn't have enough personality to dislike.

2. Gaelen Foley, My Dangerous Duke - I am not sure how one makes a romance between an aristocratic killer for a secret patriotic order and the daughter of his enemies boring, but this book succeeded.

3. Laura Kinsale, The Shadow and the Star - everyone and their cousin recommended it. I liked it but didn't love it (and I wish the whole subplot about the cursed sword was dropped because pointless and I can see why some may think it orientalizing). Hero is a blond ninja virgin with major hangups about sex being evil who was adopted by English aristocrats in Hawaii. All it lacked was the author making him a vampire pirate. I liked him but I was all about the heroine, Leda, a very proper Victorian seamstress. I want to be her BFF in real life and for her to teach me when gloves are appropriate and how many inches one must have between self and gentleman friend when conversing. Book gets points for being the only romance novel I read which has first sexual encounter btw hero and heroine be more confusing and awkward than sexy as they are both virgins. I think Kinsale is a superior version of Foley for me - when I love her books, I really love them, but most of them don't leave me in exstacies. In case people need warnings for these things - mention/discussion of child abuse/rape, nothing graphic.

4. Loretta Chase, Captives of the Night - I met the protagonists of this novel, Leila Beaumont and Comte d'Esmond, as minor characters in Lord of Scoundrels, and have been panting to read about them ever since. Leila is a well-known portrait painter and d'Esmond is an agent on a mission, false identity and all. When her dissolute, criminal husband is murdered, they band together to discover who did it. It was a fun, solid novel. I prefer more angst in my romances (big shock, I am sure!) but this was v.v.v.v. good.

5. Gaelen Foley, The Pirate Prince - MY FAVORITE! And that is why I keep reading Foley books even though most of them range merely from 'meh' to 'OK' for me. When she writes something that works for me (this, The Duke) is really works! This combines pirates/sworn family enemies/hidden royalties tropes into one delicious, super-angsty mix. Prince Lazar of the tiny fictional kingdom of Ascencion (think Corsica) is the only survivor of the murdered royal family. He escaped when he was 13 and now, at 28, as a ruthless powerful pirate, he returns - not to rule the place or anything, mind you. He merely wants to complete his vendetta against the Monteverdi clan, whose head murdered his family and now runs the country. He plans the loot the place blind, execute all the Monteverdis, and make the Governor suffer by killing his beloved daughter in front of his eyes. And later, with his mission complete, he can finally kill himself. Yeah, Lazar is a dysfunctional suicidal mess. That is why I like this book. You know me and trainwrecks. Only his plans go awry when he meets Allegra Monteverdi - the target daughter in question - who is smart, fearless, is all about justice and reform, and with a hidden crush on the martyred boy-prince (and certainly won't believe this psycho is the same person, grown-up version). And so it goes, with them embarking on a passionate, dysfunctional, codependent relationship...Anyway, Lazar is mmmmm and Allegra is my girl-crush (she knifes the Big Bad in this and rescues Lazar, without bothering to dwell even for a second that she killed a man, how is that for a change of pace?) There are some tropes that may bother you that arise out of their dysfunction, but I had no problem with them (and no, I am not trying to obliquely indicate he rapes her). Also, Warning: mention/discussion of child rape/adult rape/drug use/suicide, nothing graphic. (That whole rape thing is a WEIRD trend in this latest batch. I wouldn't mind if it was short-lived).

Tried another Kinsale book, Prince of Midnight, am halfway through and will likely bail.

Oh my God, I do not remember the time I hated the heroine so. She is an utter utter bitch and I spend every page wishing for the hero to ditch her forever. His obsession with her makes no sense other than the fact she's hot but I am sure she's not the only pretty woman in Europe so wtf.

Seriously, she just pushes me into fits of rage. Her past history may explain why she's a bitch but it doesn't make her likeable or even tolerable, especially since hero has had nothing to do with her past issues. Ugh. Go die in a ditch, please! If a hero spent all the book treating heroine like dirt for the crime of being a nice person, I'd loathe his idiotic face. I don't see why it's any different if genders are reversed.

Hero also spent half the book being a beta male (ugh! there is no hero type I hate more than that outside of some bonafide rapist) though at least is getting spine back now. He's still besotted with psycho though, which makes no freaking sense at all.

I think I am going to skip more Kinsales from now on. I loved Flowers in the Storm but even there by the end the heroine was kinda grating on me, and in this one I outright hate the heroine. By that progression, in third book I'd put my fist through my kindle.