~Year of the Historical~ May: Mr Malcolm's List

I know. It's July and this review is for my May read for the "Year of the Historical" challenge. Shameful, isn't it? You know what's worse? I didn't even finish a historical for June. 

Title: Mr. Malcolm's List 

Author: Suzanne Allain
www.suzanneallain.com

Genre: Romance/Regency 

Setting: England, 1818 

Rating: 3.8 pearls 

Warnings: NONE 

Synopsis: Mr. Malcolm has a list of requirements for a wife. When one young lady takes offense, she inveigles her school friend, Selena, to play a trick on Malcolm, so he can know how it feels to be judged and found wanting.

My two cents: What an adorable story! I enjoyed the characters' interactions even though I didn't get really attached to them. It's a nice, fluffy story, a pleasant few hours to relax and unwind. The writing style is easy to read and reminiscent of the older, traditional Regencies. This is definitely a story I'd have no problem sharing with my mom or my daughter (when she's interested in romances, that is). Very sweet, G-rated, and fun.

*Review is based on the paperback I purchased from Amazon. The views expressed here are my honest opinions of this work. Making purchases through any Amazon link here will result in me earning a small commission. 

~Year of the Historical~ March: Moonlight Mist

I finished this several weeks ago but have neglected to post my review. It didn't help that I neglected to finish the book within the month specified. My bad. I do apologize for this. 

Title: Moonlight Mist

Author: Laura London (Sharon and Thomas Curtis)

Genre: Romance

Setting: Regency England (early 1800s) 

Pub Date: 1979
Rating: (3.1 pearls)
Warnings: None

This was a solid 3-pearl, just OK read. The heroine was only 17 and rather annoyingly immature for most of the book. I liked the hero but the story didn't focus much on him. It was a little prosy but common for a book published in '79. I enjoyed it but it's not one I would reread. On the positive side, if you are looking for a non-religious romance that is clean, this one definitely qualifies.

What am I reading for May? 

My current historical read is Suzanne Allain's Mr. Malcolm's List. I'm over halfway and while this isn't a book that constantly has me thinking about it and anxious to get back to it, I definitely find it amusing when I am reading it. Look for my full review at the end of the month. (Or early next month, LOL.)

~Year of the Historical~ April: Mistress of Rome

Title: Mistress of Rome

Author: Kate Quinn

Setting: Rome, 1st century

Rating: 4.3 pearls

Warnings: Graphic violence and abuse, numerous sexual situations; not recommended for readers under 18 (edited to add: at least three f-bombs present)

OK, so I cheated a little. I didn't finish my book for March because I received Kate Quinn's Mistress of Rome and read the first few pages. Then I couldn't stop. I decided it could be my historical read for April. March's post will come later. (I never did like to do things in order...)

Synopsis: Mistress of Rome chronicles the life of Thea, a Jewish slave girl in the 1st century, starting with her life as a young slave to the spiteful Lady Lepida, and ending with her interactions as mistress to Rome's Emperor Domitian.

What I liked: The attention to detail. Sure, the battle scenes were rather graphic but I appreciated Ms Quinn's desire to stay as true to the brutality of the time as possible. There was a lot of sex but it was, thankfully, glossed over for the most part. I appreciated the author's note explaining which parts of the story were fictionalized in order to expand her fictional telling of real events.

What I didn't like: The POV flip-flops. It wasn't even the fact that the story was written in 3rd and 1st. I had no problem with that and I think I was better able to relate to Thea's character by reading her in 1st person. My problem was with Lepida's POV being 1st person, too. The first few times in her POV I was confused and had to go back and remind myself that I wasn't reading Thea in that moment, I was reading Lepida. These 1st person sections are clearly marked with the character's name but I had a little trouble getting used to the switches. (I admit, part of me also did not want to read the vicious Lepida's character as if she was me.)

Who would like this: I don't think it qualifies as a "romance" and I don't believe it really qualifies as "clean." However, readers who, like me, enjoy an occasional tale that doesn't turn history into an unbelievable fantasy, would like this book.

Overall: I loved this book. I was crying by page 9 and cried off and on 'til the end. I'll probably reread it and I eagerly look forward to Ms Quinn's future works. Bottom line, I don't regret paying for this book.

*Disclaimer: I have not been paid in any way, shape or form for this review. I purchased this book and this review is my honest opinion of this work.

~Year of the Historical~ February: Crocodile on the Sandbank

First, I know this review is late. I had so much going on in February that I failed to finish the book, let alone review it. This was the planned review for that month, however, so I'm marking this one as February's Year of the Historical review. Thank you for understanding. :o)

Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Setting: Egypt, late 1800s

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 4.8 pearls

Warnings: None.

Synopsis: Miss Amelia Peabody inherits a sizable fortune upon her father's death. Deciding to travel, she goes to Egypt where she falls in love with archeology and decides to stay. Unfortunately, someone seems intent on harming her, or at the very least, frightening her away.

My two cents: I mentioned in an earlier post that I loved this book when I was only a little over halfway through it. That opinion didn't change. At all. I LOVED this book! The main character, from whose 1st person POV we get the entire story, was so fun and interesting. Very much a spinster at 32, Miss Peabody is a no-nonsense type of woman with no high opinion of her looks and no illusions as to what draws men to her after her father's death. Early in her travels, she rescues Evelyn, a young woman who had been taken in by a charlatan and abandoned. Evelyn's character is opposite Peabody's and I think the two personalities play rather well off each other. It was a believable relationship.

Of course, there is a tiny element of romance present. The ladies meet two archeologists with whom they form a rapport...of sorts. I would have liked to see a little more romance but this book is not categorized as such. It was a very minor part of the storyline. Still, it was a wonderful mystery with enough misdirection to keep the reader second-guessing as to the villain's identity.

Overall, 4.8 pearls. I would recommend this to everyone, mystery readers, romance readers and especially those on the lookout for clean reads.

Title: Crocodile on the Sandbank

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Publisher: Fawcett

Orig. Pub Date: March 1976

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Historical

(The following is for the current printing.)

ISBN: 0445406518

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages

List price: $7.99US

Rating: 4.8 pearls

Warnings: None.

What am I reading for March?

Another oldie, that's for sure. Moonlight Mist by Laura London, an out-of-print traditional Regency from 1979, coincidentally the year I was born. The pic here is a scan of the book I hold in my hands. It has a list price of $1.50, ISBN 0440154644.

I am halfway through this vintage tome and it is definitely what was popular/common in its time. The heroine is very young (17), the hero is a LOT older (over 30), and it is a little unclear as to why either one falls in love with the other. She is a bit of a headstrong brat and he is unfailingly patient. He'd make a very good father, I think. *cheeky grin*

They are married in the beginning, having been caught in a compromising position. I actually thought that particular scene was entertainingly done. But this is as far as my "currently reading" review can really go. The writing is typical of the decade, I believe. The prose can be rather purple at times and the vast age difference is something I seem to run into often in these older publishings. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm enjoying the story.

Year of the Historical Reading Challenge Update

February was busier than I expected. I finished the fantasy novel I started writing in November '09 and started firing it off for critiques just recently. Halfway through the month, both of my kids came down with icky colds that they inevitably passed on to my husband and me. Then, last week, my father-in-law died unexpectedly and there were many days spent with family and friends mourning the loss. Now, I find that I failed to finish the book I planned for the month of February.

So this post is a "What I'm Reading Now" type of post. I am currently reading Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. It is a highly amusing tale (told 1st person) of an independent (and independently wealthy) Englishwoman (Victorian) who travels to Egypt for fun and falls in love with archeology. She tells the story with a humorous flair that was unexpected considering this book is of the gothic romance/mystery sort. I understand already, a little over halfway through, why this author is one of my sister-in-law's all-time favorites.

Without even having finished this novel, I already highly recommend it to mystery, gothic, historical, and romance lovers. It is nearly 300 pages of good, clean fun with some romance and mystery thrown in for good measure.

So what are you reading now?

~Year of the Historical~ January: "Four In Hand" by Stephanie Laurens

Setting: Regency England (early 1800s)

Genre: Romance

Synopsis: A rakish duke acquires not one but four beautiful wards, the eldest of whom he decides to seduce.

My two cents: I'm given to understand that this is a re-release of one of Ms Laurens's older Regencies. I also read numerous reviews of this book before deciding to purchase it. Some readers were dissatisfied with the lack of graphic sex in the story. I am the opposite. I was able to enjoy the story because the love scenes were far less graphic than is the norm in historical romance novels. (Some really finicky readers might have a problem with this book being called a "clean" romance, however, because there was premarital sex and a few sexual situations, but I would still categorize it as such.)

I tend to like my Regencies to have a little more substance than this one can boast but it was still an entertaining read. The characters were amusing; I smiled through the whole book. However, I think the focus being so much on four couples rather than one made it hard to really connect with any of them.

Title: Four in Hand

Author: Stephanie Laurens

Publisher: HQN

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Historical

ISBN: 0373773099

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

List price: $7.99US

Rating: 4 pearls

Warnings: None, really, but as I mentioned before, some may still have issues with the sexual situations.

Year of the Historical : Reading Challenge for 2010

I wish I had been informed of this earlier! What a fun challenge for me! I am still going to give it a shot even though January is almost over. This is great since I've been focusing a lot on nonfiction lately rather than the historical romance that I love so much.

Here are the rules as I understand them:

1. Sign up for the challenge at the original blog post (not mine).
2. Read one book per month. A grand total of 12 in the year.
3. Anything historical applies but it must be historical: young adult, romance, fiction, thrillers, mysteries, etc. Make sure it is set prior to the present day. (I like Regencies, LOL.)
4. They can be re-reads, new reads, or new-to-you-but-old reads.
5. Post a review at the end of the month for the book you read that meets the criteria for this challenge. Make sure the review is marked in some way to signify that it is for this challenge. For example, I will label mine ~Year of the Historical~ {month & book title}.
6. No nonfiction, biographies or reference books. This is a straight-up fiction challenge.

I think that covers everything. I am currently reading a Stephanie Laurens Regency and I can probably get it done before February but the review might be a bit late.

Happy reading, writing and blogging!!