I am lucky enough to have three trips on planes this summer, the first of which was completed last week. That is a lot of reading time. Here are the reviews so far.
Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James (I actually read this one a couple of months ago but never got around to reviewing it). Thorn Dautry is plenty rich but his status in polite society is shaky because he is the bastard son of a duke. He hires India St Clair to redecorate his estate in a manner that will convince the parents of his intended that he is worthy of their daughter. Except he and India discover that they are far more interested in each other than either the house or the sweetly insipid intended. I loved this one for the first three quarters, but I was disappointed by the way she ended it. Even with the less-than-perfect ending, though, it was plenty good enough to restore my faith in Eloisa James. The last two of hers that I've read have been underwhelming. The one thing that (oddly) bugs me about her writing is the way she puts 21st century slang and ideas in the mouths of her characters. I say "oddly" because she's a professor of Shakespeare at Fordham University and you would think that she above all other historical romance writers would be on top of that kind of stuff. But it was still a good read.
To Die For by Linda Howard. This is a strange book. It seemed like an early-90s style romance novel, but when I flipped over to see the publication date, it was written in 2005. Blair Mallory, former cheerleader and fitness club owner, is a self-centered, shallow blond who is still capable and smart, but has to be "put in her place" by a stronger willed hero, Wyatt Bloodsworth. It was a hard sell for me, but by the end Howard won me over. A young woman who looks similar to Blair is murdered in the parking lot of Blair's club, so Lieutenant Bloodsworth--who disappared after three dates two years previously--takes on the case. I really wish Linda Howard had let someone who is more familiar with the vernacular and attitudes of people in their late 20s/early 30s read it for accuracy, because there were half a dozen times when I thought nobody under the age of 45 would say that, but it wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the book. There was one scene with Blair and her mother that cracked me up, and that doesn't happen very often anymore. Overall, recommended, but it will probably help if you go in with low expectations.
(aside: I've been thinking about Taming of the Shrew-type plots. It occurred to me while I was teaching Emma this past spring that the basic premise is similar to that famous Shakespeare play. To Die For is another. You have an unlikable young woman as the main character, who is turned into a more acceptable person by a strong-willed man who sort of trains/tames her. But at the same time, the unlikable young woman is also a strong character who goes toe-to-toe with the strong-willed man. Let me know if you think of other books with similar plots.)
The Countess Conspiracy, by Courtney Milan. I've been holding out on you. I discovered a new author, Courtney Milan, and I've now read three of hers, plus a novella. None of them is perfect, but some of them come pretty dang close. The Countess Conspiracy is the most recent one (published last December). I've been going through them slowly, because sometimes if I read several books by the same author all in a row, I get tired of her voice. Milan is good enough that I didn't want to do that. I read the first one, a novella called "The Governess Affair," last fall, and I think it is still my favorite. But The Countess Conspiracy is still a great read. My only gripe is--once again-- putting 21st century words and attitudes into 19th century characters. But if you go into it expecting that, maybe it won't bother you too much. This story is about two people who have been best friends since childhood. Violet has become Britain's foremost expert on inherited traits in plants, but since it would be unthinkable for a woman to be a scientist, for years she has allowed Sebastian Malheur to present her findings. No one but Sebastian knows that she is the real genius, and no one but Sebastian knows that he has been in love with her for years. Disappointing ending again--I'm not a big fan of courtroom scenes, and the historical aspect of it gets more and more absurd toward the end--but this was still well worth reading.
So that's it for now. But I am thrilled because that is three decent romance novels in a row, after a long time of not reading any that I liked. I also read one that was awful, but I will spare you.
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