A Fatal Waltz
Book Four of the (mis)adventures of Lady Emily Ashton picks up not long after the end of A Poisoned Season. In A Fatal Waltz, Lady Emily is a true friend to Ivy and attends a shooting party at Lord Fortescue's estate. A murder at the shooting party puts Robert, Ivy's husband, in the spotlight as the main suspect for the murder. In order to save her dear friend's husband from hanging for a crime he didn't commit, Lady Emily takes her investigation on the road - to Vienna, a city full of life, artists and intrigue. Will Lady Emily be able to solve the murder case before Robert's trial? Colin makes an appearance in Vienna to lend a bit of assistance to her inquiries, of course, but is in clear and present danger.
What I liked about A Fatal Waltz, and previous books in this series by Tasha Alexander, is the strong will of Lady Emily. Four books later, she still is in love with Greek, Colin and port (but not necessarily in that order). Considering the time period (late 1800s), she is the exception and not the rule. Somehow, she maintains her independence despite agreeing to marrying Colin. In the end, I admit, I was surprised to find out who the killer really was. Hindsight is always 20/20 and the clues were there, if the reader is intuitive enough to piece the pieces of the puzzle together.
One thing I love about Tasha Alexander is that she has written this quartet of books in just about two years. That averages out to one book every six months. For me, that is a big plus because it's not so long the storyline fades from mind. I hate it when I find an author I love only to find out they write a book once every few years. I like consistency and so far, Tasha Alexander has provided that to me and I thank her for that. I am looking forward to the next installment of Lady Emily and I know it won't be too far in the future that I will again be engrossed in another one of Tasha Alexander's delicious novels.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Book Review of When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
I must confess that I am a huge fan of Eloisa James' historical fiction books. It was probably a year ago that I first discovered her and her Pleasures trilogy. From there I went right on to the Essex Sisters quartet and then found her Desperate Duchesses delicious! With When the Duke Returns we are treated to book four of the sextet.
When the Duke Returns begins with Isadore, the Duchess of Conway, at a house party awaiting her husband. However, for Isadore, the meeting of the Duke of Conway will be the first time she has met him. Betrothed as children, the two never had a formal church wedding since they were married by proxy while he was away. Simeon, the wayward Duke, returns to England because Isadore has decided it was high time that she her husband of 11 years... and she was quite tired of being a virgin. She hatches a plan to force his hand by attending one of Lord Strange's infamous house parties, knowing that word would reach her husband and he would rush to collect her to avoid scandal.
Simeon immediately realizes that Isadore is no wall flower. No, she is quite the opposite of the docile and biddable wife that his mother had written him numerous letters about while he was off chasing the source of the Nile. Instead, Simeon returns home to saucy wife, a dilapidated family pile that stinks to high Heaven, not to mention a pile of his father's unpaid bills. Simeon, too, isn't what Isadore expected. Sure, he's drop dead gorgeous, but she finds his old-fashioned notions of being the decision maker in the household almost too much to bear. She's been on her own for 11 years and is quite used to being her own boss. Realizing they'll never mesh properly, Simeon offers Isadore a solution: an annulment.
However, Isadore wants to make the marriage work and hatches a new plan to lure him to bed since you can't annul a marriage once it has been consummated.
Weaved in between the story line of Isadore and Simeon is more of the running story line of Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont, Elijah (her duke) and Villiers. As you may remember, Jemma was involved in a high stake game of chess between the two men, that is until Villiers was nearly mortally wounded by her own brother. In this book, we see Villiers moderately recovered and learn of a new twist in the saga. Jemma, incidentally, will be the subject of the fifth book due out later in 2009.
Overall, I was not disappointed in this book at all. The idea of two polar opposites coming together (along with the revelation that though married 11 years, they are still both virgins!) makes When the Duke Returns a very interesting and enjoyable read.
I must confess that I am a huge fan of Eloisa James' historical fiction books. It was probably a year ago that I first discovered her and her Pleasures trilogy. From there I went right on to the Essex Sisters quartet and then found her Desperate Duchesses delicious! With When the Duke Returns we are treated to book four of the sextet.
When the Duke Returns begins with Isadore, the Duchess of Conway, at a house party awaiting her husband. However, for Isadore, the meeting of the Duke of Conway will be the first time she has met him. Betrothed as children, the two never had a formal church wedding since they were married by proxy while he was away. Simeon, the wayward Duke, returns to England because Isadore has decided it was high time that she her husband of 11 years... and she was quite tired of being a virgin. She hatches a plan to force his hand by attending one of Lord Strange's infamous house parties, knowing that word would reach her husband and he would rush to collect her to avoid scandal.
Simeon immediately realizes that Isadore is no wall flower. No, she is quite the opposite of the docile and biddable wife that his mother had written him numerous letters about while he was off chasing the source of the Nile. Instead, Simeon returns home to saucy wife, a dilapidated family pile that stinks to high Heaven, not to mention a pile of his father's unpaid bills. Simeon, too, isn't what Isadore expected. Sure, he's drop dead gorgeous, but she finds his old-fashioned notions of being the decision maker in the household almost too much to bear. She's been on her own for 11 years and is quite used to being her own boss. Realizing they'll never mesh properly, Simeon offers Isadore a solution: an annulment.
However, Isadore wants to make the marriage work and hatches a new plan to lure him to bed since you can't annul a marriage once it has been consummated.
Weaved in between the story line of Isadore and Simeon is more of the running story line of Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont, Elijah (her duke) and Villiers. As you may remember, Jemma was involved in a high stake game of chess between the two men, that is until Villiers was nearly mortally wounded by her own brother. In this book, we see Villiers moderately recovered and learn of a new twist in the saga. Jemma, incidentally, will be the subject of the fifth book due out later in 2009.
Overall, I was not disappointed in this book at all. The idea of two polar opposites coming together (along with the revelation that though married 11 years, they are still both virgins!) makes When the Duke Returns a very interesting and enjoyable read.
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