Arabella

Arabella by Georgette Heyer 1113

Arabella Tallant is the oldest daughter in a family of eight children. Her father being the local vicar, they live modestly but by no means are they poor, and they are very family oriented and connected with each other. Her mother's best friend from childhood is now the widowed Lady Bollingbrook, and since she is Arabella's godmother, Arabella's mother asks her to sponsor Arabella for a season in the hopes that she will find a well connected husband and she can then bring her sister's out into society. Arabella is anxious to do what is best for her family and hopes to find a kind man who will love her. On the way to London her carriage overturns and she and her companion take refuge in a nearby hunting lodge. Robert Beaumaris is a very wealthy gentleman about town who has been hunted by matchmaking mamas and desperate young ladies for years and he automatically assumes that Arabella is one of these women. Overhearing his remarks Arabella is incensed and makes it clear to him that she is very wealthy as well and hopes to hide it from fortune hunters.

Robert knows that Arabella is stretching the truth but his friend overhears and word quickly spreads around London that she is an heiress and the fortune hunters do indeed come out. Lady Bollingbrook is beside herself, imaging that Arabella is the belle of the ton, but Arabella is crushed to learn that her impetuous outburst has created so many problems. Robert remains the only comfort she has during the parties and balls where everyone's eyes on her, but she worries what his reaction will be when he finds out the truth of her financial situation and fears losing him. Robert wants Arabella to confide the truth to him of her own volition- he does not want to force her hand, but he realizes it may be inevitable because he is falling for her and does not want to wait too long. Meanwhile Arabella's brother has gambled his way into a huge hole and Arabella believes it is up to her to make things right and the only person she can turn to is Robert. Robert is of course willing to do everything he can to help but he expects that at the end he and Arabella will stop pretending with each other and admit to each other that they are in love.

Arabella is much different than every other romance I have read and I wondered if it was even appropriate for me to review it here. It was obviously written a long time ago, originally published in 1949, and it sticks more to social norms and language that would have been used in the Regency period than most modern romance novels. Her writing reminded me of Jane Austen because it was wordy and long and slow with only moderate verbal interactions among characters. However, while I do not like Jane Austen's novels I found that I did enjoy this because it was essentially entirely a romance novel and the diction was more digestible for me. I really liked that Arabella was very true to her time and her situation; she tried to stick to social norms and pretty much did for the entire novel. She cared so much about her family and had a strong sense of duty to do right by them and felt guilt over the deception she had played out. She did what others expected of her and yet it was clear that she had a very strong sense of self and stayed true to her beliefs and values.

Robert was not in as much of the novel as I typically like in romances but I did get enough of him to make it clear that he was a really upstanding guy who cared about Arabella and wanted her to be happy. He started out a little stuffy but slowly began to reveal his more fun side and let loose a little bit. He acted out of character in order to be near Arabella and the way it was written made it so clear that he needed Arabella and the laughter she would bring into his life. Their relationship was slow and very staid and proper, in keeping with the entire tone of the novel, and they were very rarely alone together. They enjoyed each other's company and quickly came to see that they were compatible and that they could live a happy life together. There was one muted kiss at the very end of the book, but, as with much about the book that would normally not work for me, it was in keeping with the rest of the book. The plot involving her brother was often long and I did not really go for it, but it worked with the novel and was an opportunity to show how Robert and Arabella worked together.

Rating: It was an enjoyable book but it was not really my cup of tea. For what it was it was really good, but I don't think I will read too much more of Heyer's stuff.

A Night to Surrender

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare 1112

Susanna Finch is the de facto leader of Spindle's Cove which has become a haven for women who have trouble fitting in with society and need a place to explore and be themselves. She enjoys herself and the environment of welcoming she and her fellow townspeople have created. Victor Bramwell is desperate to regain his commission to help fight Napoleon and he turns to his father's friend, the amorist, Lewis Finch. Finch informs Bram that he can get his command back but that he has been honored with the Earldom of Rycliff and he must raise and train a militia in Spindle's Cove. Bram is not pleased to hear this but he sets about trying all he can to find eligible men, a hard task since the community has turned into a haven for women and even the local tavern has become a tea shop. Susanna does not like Bram for coming in and disturbing her peace and his actions threaten to ruin the reputation of Spindle Cove; a reputation she has worked so hard to maintain. She needs Spindle's Cove as a safe place for herself and for all the women of England who need to be welcomed somewhere.

Bram has been an officer his whole life and when his knee injury threatens to ruin his career it also threatens his sense of self so he sees his enterprise in Spindle's Cove as his last chance and he doesn't want anyone standing in his way. They are at cross purposes and bickering and bantering over the future of Spindle's Cove, but they also come to an agreement that their two groups can work together. Bram thinks he is just what Susanna needs; she is loud and tall and takes charge and he is just the man who can stand up to her and not allow her to run roughshod over him. Susanna feels that she has finally found someone in Bram who she can depend on but she worries that his military career will always be more important and he will end up abandoning her. With the officer's ball and the militia review coming up tensions are running high and Susanna and Bram are both unsure of where their relationship is heading and how much they will have to give up to be together. But when an accident threatens Spindle's Cove and their lives it is clear to both of them that they will do anything for the love they share.

I really liked Susanna because she was genuinely strong and brave and capable and presented herself as so confident and had hidden vulnerabilities. I take issue with romance novel heroines who are presented as so strong but Susanna really was; she built Spindle's Cove to protect other women like her who needed a safe haven and took pride in what she had accomplished. She had a purpose in life beyond the mere charity work and because Bram had one too, it made them more equals. Bram was a very well developed character because he so identified with his role in the army that he couldn't see his life without it. It was only with Susanna coming into his life that he could see life beyond being an officer and enjoy that prospect. And similarly he made her take risks with her own hopes and desires and come to recognize that she was hiding in Spindle's Cove and could take a chance on him and on her life. This really made their relationship pop to me because they complemented each other so well and each of them needed the other in some way and became a better person with the other's help.

There was a good amount of sex in the novel and it was well written and pretty hot and inventive. While I understood that Bram was presented as so different from all the men she had met her life up to this point because he did was not intimidated by her and presented a challenge, I found it odd that such a big deal was made over how he could stand up to her and wouldn't be pushed around. The men in Spindle's Cove did tailor their work to suit the needs of women because that's how they made their living and Bram was personally affronted by this. There was a little too much of a theme of making real men out of people and I found it insulting that Bram couldn't appreciate that a blacksmith who fixed lockets was just as good as one who spent his life throwing horseshoes or whatever. The militia buildup was interesting and I liked that Bram and Susanna worked together for much of the novel to make things work out and helped each other. The book was a typical length but for some reason I became bored about half way through and felt like the book dragged after that.

Rating: Two well developed and well suited characters with a strong relationship but I was bored during the book even if I can't put my finger on precisely why.

Scandalous Desires

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt 1108

The widowed Silence Hollingbrook has a scandalous past with river pirate Mickey O'Connor since she went to him a year ago after he stole her husband's cargo. Even though he did not touch her it left her reputation in ruins and her marriage was never the same and after her husband's death she comforts herself with the orphanage her family runs in St. Giles and Mary Darling, an infant left on her doorstep. Mick has never forgotten the innocence of the beautiful and loyal young woman who begged for his help and so when he needed a safe place for his young daughter he immediately thought of Silence. When Mary's hiding space is compromised Mick takes her back and Silence refuses to leave the child she has quickly become attached to even if it means being forced to move into a pirate's palace. Mary is determined to keep her pride even while doing something that could ruin her and, if discovered, could ruin the foundling home and her siblings.

Mick knows that Silence is too good for him and that he is only bringing her into danger and exposing her to the Vicar of Whitechapel, the notorious gin runner who Mick knows from personal experience has no care for anyone save himself, who would do anything to bring Mick down. Life in his palace is far from Silence's normal way of life; guards on every corner, rich and plentiful food, gold and silver accents, and luxurious furniture and rooms. Upon closer inspection she discovers that Mick is attempting to make up for a childhood spent in abject poverty and she realizes that there are secrets, very dark secrets, in his past, that he is attempting to hide from her but will help her understand all of his actions. Silence's family and friends encourage her to leave Mick, but she knows that there is good inside of him and she wants to bring it out and make him into a better man. When the Vicar makes his move it places Silence in danger and Mick must do all he can to save her and his child, but when everything has settled he has to decide if he can ever be a man who is worthy of love from the woman he loves.

This book starts out immediately where the previous books int he series left off and pretty much jumps right in with the assumption that the reader knows what happened. I enjoyed this because I did know and would not have liked to have pages of catch up when I did not need it but I imagine it would be confusing for some readers. Mick certainly did not come across as a good guy, or as hero material, in previous books as his actions could have destroyed Silence's husband and did end up ruining her reputation and her relationship with those closest to her. It was apparent that there would need to be a major overhaul of his character to make him worthy of love from our heroine and I felt like Hoyt fell short in this. Mick got his jollies by killing people and ruining people just because he could and while he did have a horrific childhood, I felt like this was no even close to a decent excuse for most of his actions. I understood that he was redeemed through his love for Silence but I wanted to know what happened to the other people whose lives he had destroyed.

Silence was loyal, caring, and sweet so she was basically the complete opposite of Mick and her character was obviously meant to show that a good woman could transform even the most wicked of men through said goodness. While I admired her determination to first see to her husband's well being and then to see Mary Darling, I did not understand her feelings for Mick. I wanted him to suffer for what he put her through and it felt like he did not make up for what he had done. Their relationship was difficult to understand and their forced proximity made me wonder if there feelings were just based on her exclusion from her family and friends. They did interact with each other a lot and they had time to get to know each other but I was still just waiting for some reason to find Mick worthy of Silence. There was some sex between them, but not very much and it was not as hot and steamy as I'm used to from Hoyt. The plot involving the Vicar was engrossing and reasonably introduced and carried throughout the book and blended well with everything.

Rating: Great writing as usual and an interesting story but I could not get over Mick and his unlikability even while enjoying Silence and the side plot.

An Unwilling Bride

An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley 1105 

Beth Armitage grew up quietly, but happily, with her Aunt Emma and eventually became a satisfied school teacher for young ladies. The Duke of Belcraven originally accepted his wife's son, conceived with another man, as his own, but when his own two sons passed away he had difficulty being completely happy with the situation and it caused a rift between him and the Duchess. When he discovers that Beth is his own bastard child he decides that the perfect solution is for Beth to marry his heir, Lucien de Veux, the Marquess of Arden. Lucien is shocked to learn the truth of his parentage and feels adrift to no longer be a true de Veux, but he has no intention of following the Duke's orders until Belcraven threatens to leave all of his money elsewhere and leave Lucien with a bankrupt estate. Beth too is horrified by the proposal but the Duke once again resorts to blackmail to get the marriage he wants and Beth is moved to London where she tries to fit into London society and tries to get to know her future husband. 

Beth has always been a believer in equality for men and women and for the classes and it is not long before she and Lucien are exchanging quotations and philosophizing on the rights of men and women. They both enjoy the banter but Beth is not reconciled to her plight and she insinuates that she may not be a virgin. Despite not being a virgin himself, Lucien is horrified at the implication and her mistake colors every interaction they have as he cannot look at her the same way. She regrets her hasty words but the chasm between them only continues to grow as he starts to go out in the evenings. No matter how awkward the wedding must go on, but now she is terrified of consummating the marriage as the gulf between them continues to widen and they both wonder if anything will ever come of their marriage. There is also the matter of a man from Lucien's past who is threatening the happiness of one of Beth's former students and she is determined to help her friend. Lucien and Beth work together to help this girl and in the process discover that they are perfect for each other. 

I love that Beth had a career and a purpose in life and was so well educated she could hold her own with the most well to do men. She was shy and introverted and her reactions to being forced into marriage were very realistic because she recognized she had to succumb because of what the Duke was holding over her head, and yet her pride still compelled her to do all in her power to try to stop the wedding. She was insecure about herself and unsure of how she would fit with her very handsome husband and his glittering and well connected friends. Lucien overcame the truth of his parentage very quickly and he reacted fairly to what was happening to him and Beth as neither of them got very mad at each other and they recognized that they were both victims of this scheme. I felt like they were too controlled and were holding so much in and went about their interactions far too rationally. There was  a lot of talking, a lot of them sharing quotes to see who was the best at it, and it was jut not to my taste. Seriously? Taking turns quoting people? Completely ridiculous. 

Because of Beth's fear of intimacy there was basically no sex in the book and very little lust even though that very little was enough to make Beth's head spin and send her off into endless little mind tortures. This book has apparently gained some notoriety because Lucien backhands Beth when he believes she has had another man in her room. I obviously found it abhorrent but I was willing to be open minded given the right circumstances, but those never arrived. She just accepted that it would never happen again and that he was provoked (even though I did not feel like it was that big of a provocation) and he apologized and spent less than a page regretting what happened. I was also horrified by the fact that less than an hour after the slap Beth was sitting in Lucien's former mistresses house and they were becoming the best of friends. Ugh. The plot involving her former pupil became the entire focus of the last quarter of the book and overwhelmed what could have been them finally falling in love. The book also felt like an homage to Beverley's former books in the series and a setup for the next which I didn't like.

Rating: Two incredibly talkative people who did not behave normally around each other and actions I didn't like and a side plot that overwhelmed.

A Beginner's Guide to Rakes

A Beginner's Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch 1030

Diane Benchley, Countess of Benchley, returns to London amidst a firestorm of gossip after she and her husband had fled England for Vienna chased by creditors demanding payment for her husbands debts. When Lord Cameron dies Diane is left nearly penniless and uses her skills to convince people that he had left her all the unentailed properties and is determined to never ever be under any man's thumb again. Oliver Warren, Marquis of Haybury, hears the rumors surrounding Diane's return and decides he wants nothing to do with her. The two of them had engaged in a brief affair in Vienna and when he had found that he was falling for her he hightailed it back to London to make nice with his uncle who was threatening to leave him a bankrupt title. Diane felt betrayed and she too wants nothing to do with Oliver, until her partner in waiting passes away and the only person she can think who could help her is Oliver. Diane wants to make gambling finally work to her advantage and plans to open a club in her own home and as a dedicated gambler himself, Oliver is the perfect partner.

Oliver is not eager to help Diane, but she has information about the one time he cheated at cards and he cannot risk his reputation at the table so he agrees to loan her money to help start her venture, to teach her employees- all female- how to work at a club, and to move in upstairs but leave her alone. Diane needs to keep her distance from Oliver and even carries a gun around for protection if he should get ideas, but he quickly proves to be more than she can handle, moving around as if he owns the place, and truly becoming a partner and helper in her business, instead of the reluctant victim of her schemes. As he sees her attempt to run such a complicated establishment and try so hard to prove that she doesn't need anyone, the more he wants her to need him and he wants to make up for what he did long ago and show that he has changed and there is a future for them. Diane is terrified of how much Oliver is coming to mean to her and how much he can hurt her but it it is only with her help that she can take care of her problems; both from her family and coming from inside herself, and they can finally find love together.

Diane had admirable qualities like her ability to look after herself and her complete self-centered-ness was a change of pace from the usual romance novel heroine. That is about all I can say about her that is good because I found nothing about her to be sympathetic, likable, or worthy of anyone falling in love with her. She was cold, incredibly cold, and it was impossible for me to warm to her because she was only concerned with herself; her money, her feelings, her ability to take care of herself. The book briefly mentions how she is taking in women who have nowhere else to go, but it felt more like a desperate attempt to make her seem human and it fell far short. Oliver was definitely more human but I felt like there was nothing special about him and I could not really get into his character because I was so horrified that he was in love with such an unlikeable heroine. Their relationship started years prior so I felt like I missed out on them falling in love- like perhaps Diane had been lovable back then but I saw no evidence of this in the present.

I felt like their relationship, in the present, got off to a very poor start with the blackmail because I felt like it gave one person far too much power in the relationship. Enoch tried to make it seem like Oliver was there, eventually at least, of his own free will and that Diane's control was not so all encompassing, but I just did not get over her holding a pistol to him for much of the book. I also did not enjoy that their relationship was based on one-upping each other like they were in constant competition and trying to prove something to the other. It did not come across as the basis for a stable, or very romantic relationship. They were both supposedly incredibly attracted to each other and while their was quite a bit of lust on both their parts, the sex, when it finally occurred, was not all that impressive even while I recognized that might be because I didn't really like the characters. The side plot involving her ex brother-in-law was interesting, but after so much to do over what would happen it was settled incredibly quickly and in a rather ridiculous manner.

Rating: Two characters I disliked in a romance that was far from romantic and a side plot that was ridiculous, but the writing style was easy and fast paced.