A Countess By Christmas by Annie Burrows

Synopsis:

The Earl of Bridgemere is happy to encourage his reputation as a curmudgeonly recluse if it repels the grasping females who usually attend his lavish Christmas parties.

Helen Forrest is like a breath of fresh air, uninterested in his wealth and not cowed by his temper.

Bridgemere's seasonal duty suddenly becomes a pleasure as he sets about making Helen his countess—by Christmas!

My Review:

I really enjoyed this book! 4.5 stars

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

Synopsis:
The Wallflowers are four young ladies in London who banded together in their wild and wickedly wonderful searches for true love. Now happily married, they join together once again to help one of the world’s most notorious rogues realize that happiness might be right under the mistletoe.… It’s Christmastime in London and Rafe Bowman has arrived from America for his arranged meeting with Natalie Blandford, the very proper and beautiful daughter of Lady and Lord Blandford. His chiseled good looks and imposing physique are sure to impress the lady in waiting and, if it weren’t for his shocking American ways and wild reputation, her hand would already be guaranteed. Before the courtship can begin, Rafe realizes he must learn the rules of London society. But when four former Wallflowers try their hand at matchmaking, no one knows what will happen. And winning a bride turns out to be more complicated than Rafe Bowman anticipated, especially for a man accustomed to getting anything he wants. However, Christmas works in the most unexpected ways, changing a cynic to a romantic and inspiring passion in the most timid of hearts.  A Wallflower Christmas takes a trip to Victorian London, under the mistletoe, and on a journey of the heart. With her trademark charm, sensuality, and unforgettable characters, there’s no one like Lisa Kleypas to make you believe in the magic of Christmas.


my review-
It was good, but not great. The story was way too short to deal with the heroine/hero's story properly. It was good to catch up with the Wallflowers though:)
3 stars.

Winter Blossom by Cynthia Sinclair

Winter Blossom

Cynthia Sinclair

1983, 310 pages

Tapestry Romance #27

Synopsis:
NO MAN WOULD OWN HER. 

Suzanna Rutledge's mother had been a Japanese companion to her father, a British trader. Cloistered for years, Suzanna barely knew him until James Rutledge summoned her to be a translator for his English partner.

Suzanna was ordered to cater to Lord Alex's every whim. But she had desires of her own and her heart would be given only to the man who would win it.


My Review:
Old School Bodice Ripper set in Japan, probably the 17th century era.


 The heroine, Zanna, is a bi-racial child, her father a British merchant and her mother was his Japanese "companion", or concubine.  The hero is another British Lord and Merchant who is sent to Japan to check on the London trading company that's being run by Rutledge, Zanna's father. 


Pretty good Historical from the "Tapestry" line of romances of the 80's. Lot's of high drama, conniving, swindling, fighting and of course, bodice ripping ;) Interesting change of scene from the usual Historical Romance normally set in England. The author seemed to have researched feudal Japan quite a bit. It was enjoyable and I'll read more from this author. 4 stars.

The Oak Staircase by Mary Lee

The Oak Stair case: Or The Stories Of Lord And Lady Desmond
Mary Lee
copyright 1872, 287 pages




Note: This is a FREE public domain book-you can download and read it yourself HERE.


My Review:
I downloaded this book simply because I liked the cover and with "Lord and Lady" in the title, I figured it was historical in nature.


The Oak Staircase was a harrowing and well written Young Adult Historical Fiction loosely based on a true event.  The "Maids Of  Taunton" and the  'Bloody Assizes' following the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.


This was an exciting and unknown historical period for me, and one that so fascinated me from the story that I researched it after finishing the book. You can learn more about this period HERE and HERE. 


The period was one of the bloodiest in England and while the book does not go into the gorier details, the writer was talented enough that you will feel the terror these poor young girls must have felt during this time. 


The story is told in the vein of a almost bedtime story. It starts with two young descendants of Lord and Lady Desmond-who walk by their portraits on the Oak Staircase at the family estate many times, but know nothing about them. Their Uncle Algernon -who is writing a historical work, tells them of Lord and Lady Desmond's story, as though they had "come" to Algernon after death to share it with them. The story is told from the perspective of when Lord/Lady Desmond were children of 10 and 14, as this is when they were married (an event that happened sometimes to make an advantageous marriage amongst two noble families).


From Frances and Algernon's (Lord Desmond was also named Algernon) marriage, to Frances being sent to the boarding school which is to change her life forever, to Algernon's stint as one of the Queen's Page Boy attendants, The Oak Staircase was a fascinating, compelling read.


Don't let the fact that it's classified as Young Adult stop you from reading this. I didn't even realize it was young adult until after I finished it, and in no way hinders the stories believability or dealing with the dire aspects of the storyline. I'd recommend this to anyone, especially fans of Historical Fiction.


5 stars.

Wordless Wednesday

Buddy Photobomb!

Wordless Wednesday

Semi-Wordless Wednesday:)

Today the American Kennel Club Announced that the Labrador Retriever is the #1 most popular dog for the 20th straight year.

BUT....

Did you know that it's a fact that large black dogs (predominately Labs/Labs mixes) are the very LAST to be adopted from shelters?

So when you are ready for a pet-PLEASE consider adopting a Black Lab or Lab mix breed dog from your area shelter.

The Apple Tree Girl by George Weston

The Apple Tree Girl By George Weston

1918, 157 pages

Read For:
Public Domain Challenge
Reading My Shelf Challenge
Forgotten Treasures Challenge
Buck Stops Here Challenge

This is a FREE Public Domain book. You can download it here:


My Review:
Very sweet story of a "Plain Jane" girl who, after being orphaned in her teens, starts a series of adventures. She is tormented by her cousin, who is very pretty on the outside, but a horror inside. The cousin constantly drills into Charlotte that she is worthless because she is homely. Charlotte, who is very smart and self sufficient, sets out to prove her wrong. A wonderfully charming story from the Edwardian era.

Unfinished-Surrender A Dream by Jill Barnett

Read For:
ROR Winter Challenge
Synopsis:


Adelaide Amanda Pinkney was glad to bid Chicago farewell. After the bustle and crowds of the growing city, the news that her aunt and uncle had left her their California farm was like a dream come true.

But Addie's idyll was shattered the moment she reached California, and learned there was another claim on her land. Montana Creed was tall, headstrong, elemental ... as much a part of the rich and rugged California terrain as the fields and valleys that dotted its majestic landscape. As a boy, Montana had watched his father slaughtered, his land stolen--and he had vowed that one day he would fulfill his father's dream.

Addie soon discovered that Montana's stubborn streak ran as deep as her own ... and that his seductive smile was almost impossible to resist. As his reluctant bride, she came to cherish Montana's tender, passionate caresses. But she knew that one day he'd have to face the demons of his past--or lose the bright and loving promise of their future!

My Review:

My Amazon Review:
cannot agree more with the last reviewer. Those who liked this book and thought it "touching" must be mental. This is one of those romances where the hero and heroine constantly-and I mean every minute constantly-fight each other. I've never understood the attraction in those storylines anyway, but this one is a bit extreme. The hero kicks the door in of the heroines home, and tries to physically throw her out of the house.He then  SHOOTS at the heroine, inside her home and holds a gun to her chest-while thinking to himself that he appreciates her "spunk" in not flinching as he holds a gun on her? What in the world is supposed to be romantic about that?

Basically it's a "let's treat each other like dogs so we can suddenly realize we love each other the last 25 pages of the book".
Not recommended.

The Ruby Ghost by June Calvin

Read For:

Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

2011 Reading From My Shelves Project

What's In A Name 4

1000 Regency Challenge

ROR Winter Challenge

Buck Stops Here Challenge ($1 on ebay)

Synopsis:
Dreams Are Made of This

Penelope Jones is a young woman of reduced means, eager to give her family one less mouth to feed. Seeking a position as governess for the Silverthorne family, she is put off by James Betterton--Lord Silverthorne's notoriously rakish cousin--around whom her unsullied reputation will certainly be at risk. Then she is startled to see a painting of Silverthorne Castle--the exact image that has haunted her dreams since childhood. Still, Penny cannot let some handsome, well-fed roisterer--or some eerily coincidental dream--place her future at risk....

Penny decides to accept the position, hoping to help Lady Silverthorne, who is being haunted by ghosts identical to those in Penelope's dreams. Though she doesn't believe in such things, Penny has to agree that something out of the ordinary is happening at the castle. There are ghosts indeed, and they seem to want to bestow on her a great treasure that a dangerous man intends to steal. James Betterton wants to protect Penny. But first he must convince her to forget her fears about his past reputation...and to accept his love.


My Review:
This is the first June Calvin traditional Regency I've read. This book came out in 2006-pretty much the end of the production of traditional Regency romances. What I didn't realize was that this was also Miss Calvin's last book. How do I know that? Because surprisingly, she announces that this is her last book in the front of the book.


Ok...I found that a bit odd, to say the least. Most of the time we find out a book is an author's last book from the simple matter of their not getting any more published. This "announcement" kind of struck me as more an "I quit" than anything else. 


Why do I bring this up, you might add? Because this book just seemed like a rushed, half finished, unloved book, that's why. The characters are one dimensional, there is almost no thread on continuity to the story, in fact a whole new storyline is sort of "plopped" into the book almost three fourths in! And it made no sense!


The heroine couldn't make up her mind from being Miss Forthright one minute, to completely lying to all her new friends in order to supposedly "protect" a family member the next. But overall, she was just stupid. 


But in all honesty, we could perhaps overlook a TSTL heroine if there was a fabulous hero, right? Well, sadly, he's just not it. He's a reformed rake-but the reader gets the impression that he had to reform cause he's just not smart enough to carry off rakedom anymore :(.


Not even getting into a secondary character, a "dependent Aunt" who constantly publicly insults the heroine in her guests home, and yet they never do or say anything to the Aunt to stop her behavior? That makes no sense in this time period.


Ok-that's enough time wasted on this book. Since I actually went to the trouble of finishing it, I'll give it 2.5 stars, but that's being generous.

Laura's Buck Stops Here Challenge

Here's the posts for the review of books I read for this challenge.

2011 The Buck Stops Here Challenge

January 1, 2011-December 31, 2011

I've always been thrifty-what some might call cheap :).

I love to use my bargain detecting skills when it comes to books. Some of my most beloved books actually cost me mere cents to nothing to purchase. I love Library Sales, Thrift Shops and Garage Sales. I've received bargains from swapping sites like www.paperbackswap.com or some small town Used Book Stores. And now with the plethora of cheap to FREE  bargain books on my e-reader? Forget about it-I'm in book Heaven! LOL

If you share my affliction for literature for less then this is the challenge for you. What fantastic books have you purchased for (up to) a mere dollar? Was the book worth it's weight in gold or not worth a plugged nickel?

The Rules:

Read, review (optional) and post where you found your bargain book. The book can be paper or ebook, it can be FREE  or cost you up to ONE DOLLARmaximum.  No loaned books-the book must be yours even if it was a freebie.

Level one -3 bargain books


Level two-6 bargain books


Level three-10 bargain books


*Bonus! Level four "proud cheapskate"-52 bargain books!* 


(those who complete this level will receive a nifty "Proud Cheapskate" blog award from me to post on their blog)


Books can be posted in other challenges and both bloggers and non bloggers welcome. Any and all genres welcome as well.

I'm going for Level FOUR!

My List:

1-Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist-4 stars-DONE (paid 20 cents at a Goodwill Sale)
2-The Ruby Ghost by June Calvin-2.5 stars-DONE (paid $1 on ebay)
3-The Apple Tree Girl by George Weston-4 stars-DONE (paid ZERO-free public domain book)
4-The Oak Staircase by Mary Lee-4 stars-DONE(paid ZERO-free public domain book)
5-Winter Blossom by Cynthia Sinclair-4 stars-DONE( paid 20 cents at Goodwill)
6-A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas-3 stars-DONE( paid 99 cents at Goodwill)


7-The Would Be Witch by Rita Boucher-4.5 stars ($1 on ebay)
8-Lord of Illusions by Rita Boucher-4.5 stars ($1 on ebay)
9-The Lost Heiress of Hawkscliffe by Joyce C. Ware-3 stars (49 cents at Goodwill)
10-The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brocmann-5 stars (49 cents at Goodwill)
11-Lady Delafont's Dilemma by Donna Simpson ($1 on ebay)
12-Lady May's Folly by Donna Simpson (49 cents at Goodwill)