Love A Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane

Love A Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

"'She liked learning something new about him, liked knowing it was possible to know someone for six years and still stumble upon mysterious corners of them."

Once in a while, you pick up a book that makes you wonder who this author is, and why you haven't  had the opportunity to fall in love with them before-- and then be glad that you haven't, because now you can go and read everything else they've ever written and fall in love over and over again. Last month I was lucky enough to experience this with Jackie Lau. This month Charlie Lane is that author for me, and this little gem of a book was a delightful introduction to her and her work.

The basic premise of Love a Lady at Midnight is simple enough: Gwendolyn and Jackson have been working together for 6 years. They've been in love with one another for most of that time, though he's a great deal more obvious about it than she is. The book opens with them finally indulging their more carnal desires before taking a huge step backwards, despite it being obvious to everyone, including both of them, that they are mad for one another. Gwendolyn steps back because she's running from a past of accidental bigamy and is terrified of hurting Jackson and his family if this comes to light. Jackson only steps back because he knows Gwendolyn wants that-- he doesn't know why. 

Where Lane really shines compared to other authors in the historical romance genre is in her characterizations. Gwendolyn and Jackson are the chef's kiss of historical romance characters. Jackson is wildly passionate, but also steady-- he knows what he wants, he sticks to what he wants, and he is willing to do anything to get it. But he's also able to change his plans and adapt when it seems necessary, without sacrificing any of the passion and emotion that make him so wonderful. He's incredibly patient, loyal, and devoted, which is exactly what Gwendolyn needs.

For her part Gwendolyn is an extremely intelligent, strong, and talented woman, but she's so haunted by her past that when the book opens she's a shell of who she could be. Watching her gain confidence and come into her own as a woman who is unafraid to face who she is, what she's done, and what she wants is an incredibly rewarding experience. The reactions of those around her to her past were masterfully done, and no minor character was wasted in this book. From the innocent questions of children about Gwendolyn and Jackson's obvious unresolved sexual tension to the truly heart-warming relationship between Jackson's uncle and aunt everyone played their part exquisitely and left me with warm feelings not only toward Gwendolyn and Jackson, but toward everyone else too.

The romance was incredibly well executed. You could really feel the years of history between these two characters, and how much deeper and sweeter all of that history made their connection. I also loved that the hero was a virgin-- I'm not a big fan of that trope, but Lane didn't unnecessarily lean into it, it was just presented as a fact, and he was a fully competent lover regardless.

I won't lie-- the ending here is obvious almost before the story has begun, but it doesn't even matter because it's SO delightful watching both Gwen and Jackson do the hard work necessary to get their happy ending.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves historical romance, you won't be disappointed by this poignant love story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and BookBuzz.net in exchange for an honest review.

NetGalley Check-In #4

From this week I'll be doing this post bi-weekly instead of weekly-- now that I've gotten started with NetGalley I think I'll be plugging along at a steady rate of 1-2 books a week from the site going forward, and it's not quite enough to justify a weekly post about it 😀

FEEDBACK RATIO

My feedback ratio has decreased from 72% to 71%. I'm excited that some publishers have accepted some of my eariler book requests, but they can slow down now 😂 

BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK

I read 2 books from NetGalley during the past week-- The Lady Knows Best by Susanna Craig, and Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin. I liked the first immeasurably better than the second-- I can't wait to share my reviews here soon.

BOOKS TO READ

I have 6 unreviewed books on my shelf, 4 still waiting patiently from last week and 2 entirely new ones. They are Frederica by Georgette Heyer, The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane, Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison,  Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche, and Bizarre by Marc Dingman. Hopefully I'll be able to read a few of them during the next 2 weeks and finally get my feedback ratio over 80%!

NetGalley Check-In #3

My third week on NetGalley took me from overwhelmed to underwhelmed... I only read one book from the site this week and I feel 100% okay with that.

FEEDBACK RATIO

My feedback ratio has increased from 61% to 72%-- another 2 reviews and I'll be at over 80%, where I want to be.  I'm proud of myself for not requesting any new books at all this week-- it took a lot of will power 😂 

BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK

I read just 1 book that I was approved for during the past week. I also finished reviewing the aggressively mediocre Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir. 

I absolutely adored Love a Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane and can't wait to share my review of it here-- it's such a gem! I'll have reviews of both of these up closer to their release! 

BOOKS TO READ

Now I only have 6 unreviewed books on my shelf, all still waiting patiently from last week. They are Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin, The Lady Knows Best by Susanna Craig, The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane, Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison,  Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche. Hopefully I'll be able to read a few of them during the coming week and finally get my feedback ratio over 80%!

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 1 star out of 5

"Even with an army at my back, I am still alone."

The follow-up to Red Queen, this book follows Mare, a rare person with red blood and silver abilities, as she whines endlessly about her life. Among other complaints, she feels it is hard being the chosen one, hard being alone even though all of your loyal friends are with you, and hard to be so special that no one else can understand. Mare spends the book attempting to find others like her, but it proves time consuming-- so time consuming that it takes up all 400 pages.

Sadly, this is the worst book I have every actually finished. I almost gave up on it many times, and having reached the end, I only regret that I didn't.

As a preliminary matter, I greatly enjoyed the first book, and I wanted to love this one, so no one could be more disappointed than I am about my opinions.

In brief: nothing happens. 400 pages should have been condensed to 100, which could have formed the mediocre beginning of a different book. As nothing happens, the book is incredibly boring. I've had heavy academic reading that was more interesting. There never seemed to be a point to the story.

Mare, whose conflict and overall personality I liked in the first book, becomes unlikable and unrelatable here. At times, I would have rejoiced in her death. The other characters in the book are ignored to a point that is almost farcical, except for when Mare is insulting and denigrating them. She gives special attention in this to her best friends. The only character given any real development is Cal, if you are paying very close attention. New characters are given so little time that I couldn't confidently list which ability a single one of them had even seconds after setting down the book.

Love triangles (or one girl with three male love interests as exists here) don't usually bother me. But for there to be a romantic story, there needs to be some kind of romance. Here, all the men just immediately fall for Mare. She then insults them endlessly in her head before, once in a long whole, kissing one of them briefly. I didn't get the impression that Mare has genuine feelings for any of them. I sometimes wondered if she is capable of genuine feelings at all. There is no sense of "Oh! She'd be good with him!" or "Oh! But she really loves him!" because Mare  seems to think they are all beneath her and barely tolerates them. The partial exception to this is Maven-- she is low-key obsessed with Maven, although he's evil and has treated her horribly. Despite her obsession, though, she doesn't seem to like Maven, much less have the capacity to love him.

Finally, Aveyard isn't a very good writer. She uses superfluous words to try to make the most dramatic, poignant, and quotable metaphors and similes possible. This wouldn't merit mentioning if it were done sparingly. It is done in nearly every paragraph-- sometimes more than once in a paragraph, and in a very heavy-handed and painful way. It is distracting, unnecessary, and detracts from the book.

Despite my incredibly negative feelings, I will probably read the third book to see if things turn around at all, but I'm not optimistic. If anyone is reading this who hasn't read the first book, I would advise you not to start the series.

I'd recommend this to no one. If you really liked the first book, skip this one entirely, get someont to spoil the last 10 pages for you, and pick up the third one hoping for the best.

NetGalley Check-In #2

My second week on NetGalley was somehow more overwhelming than my first-- I guess the honeymoon period is over and now comes the daunting task of catching up on all the books I thought it was a great idea to request during my first 10 minutes on the site. I  am slowly catching up and getting my feedback ratio to where I want it to be though-- one small step at a time.

FEEDBACK RATIO

My feedback ratio has increased a lot this week-- from 38% to 61%. My secret has basically been just not requesting any new novels  at all-- it's harder than it sounds! I've also picked up a few kids books so those reviews go quicker!

BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK

I managed to read and review 6 books that I was approved for or grabbed from the Read Now section during the past week-- 2 Historical Romance novels, 3 children's books, and a cookbook. I also finished Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir but haven't had a chance to review it yet-- and Spare by Prince Harry, which wasn't from NetGalley but just for me.

I enjoyed both Love On The Line by Anabelle Bryant, and One Wedding and an Earl by Tracy Sumner, but my favorite of these six books was probably The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book 😂 My son, on the other hand, is very into Good Night, Body by Britney Winn Lee-- he's made me read it to him before bed every night since I introduced it. I enjoyed Are You A Monster by Guilherme Karsten and Would You Rather? Easter Edition by Lindsey Daly, too. I'll have reviews of all of them up closer to their release! 

BOOKS TO READ

Just like last week, I have 8 books unreviewed on my shelf, though like I said above, I'm done with Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir. I'm also tearing through  Love a Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane-- it's awesome so far! 

Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin, The Lady Knows Best by Susanna Craig, The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane, and Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison are still waiting from last week. Despite my best efforts I also added 2 more books to my shelf this week-- Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my shelves under control in the coming days and have a higher Feedback Ratio to report next Sunday too :)

Spare by Prince Harry

Spare by Prince Harry

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This book doesn't need an introduction-- if you live anywhere in the Western world, you've heard about it. But just in case you haven't, this is Prince Harry's tell-all (or, if he's to be believed, heavily edited down tell-most).

All of the book's most sordid details have already been covered ad nauseam by the press. We all know that William, the Prince of Wales, allegedly physically attacked Harry in an argument over Meghan. We have first person confirmation of Harry's copious use of drugs. We know about Harry's loss of virginity behind a bar to an older woman who rode him like a horse. We even know about Harry's frostbitten penis.

So, instead of talking more about the content of the book, I wanted to talk about my experience in reading it, and then, for something completely unexpected, about King Charles, Harry's father. 

Reading this book got a lot better for me when I started to let myself relax into it and treat it like a work of fiction rather than a memoir. Whether Harry is a reliable narrator, and if so to what degree, was the most interesting question that this book presented for me. Unfortunately, unlike many novels where an unreliable narrator is used to great affect, there's never any wink toward the audience that helps you guess what the objective truth is. Harry admits himself he has no memory for conversations, and that he was on drugs for large portions of his youth. He is also self-evidently attempting to present himself and his new nuclear family in the most favorable light possible while throwing almost everyone else under the bus-- I think the only person outside his current nuclear family who is talked about at length and escapes relatively unscathed is his first serious girlfriend, Chelsy Davy. It's also obvious in the book that Harry has mental health issues, and that these were at times what I'd call severe-- it's possible they still are. At the same time, the book somehow has a ring of veracity that leads me to think that Harry is speaking his truth. The question of whether this is actually the truth is a different one, and I'm inclined to think the answer is 'no'.

 
Interestingly, despite Harry's dogged determination to present King Charles as the worst father imaginable, he ends up coming across as an altogether decent dad. Harry, on the other hand, comes across as quite spoiled and entitled in their interactions. I understand that their dynamic is heavily shaped by Harry's hero worship of his mother, and the way in which his father failed his mother. But Harry fails to make a real case for how Charles failed him. He talks about a man who, despite heavy social engagements, would sit with him every single night until he fell asleep because he was afraid to be alone in the dark. He talks about a man who would leave heartfelt notes about how proud he was of him on his pillow (not good enough for Harry, who evidently can only tolerate hearing praise directly and in person). He talks about a man who attended his school play and laughed uproariously, and how furious he was because Charles laughed at the 'wrong' parts. He talks about his immature and crazy request that Charles never marry again as though this was something reasonable to demand of a person, and still to this day seems to view it as a huge betrayal that Charles went ahead and married again anyway. He talks about a thoughtful, scholarly man who is mild mannered and cares for and respects the Earth. I'd rather have Charles in my life than Harry any day if  this book is anything do go on.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this anyone with any interest in the British royal family-- 100% guaranteed you'll be suitably entertained. But I'd also take it all with a grain of salt, because, while objective truth is out there, we'll never find it. This is especially true since almost all of the very people who Harry is bashing aren't able to respond to the accusations against them in any substantive way.

One Wedding and an Earl by Tracy Sumner

One Wedding and an Earl by Tracy Sumner

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

"'I like plants because they change. I transform them.
'I like stars because they're constant. I transform nothing."

Dear reader, it's thanks to this book that I personally know my historical romance limit-- 2 a week is enough for me, 3 is really pushing it. I'll definitely be reviewing different genres in the coming days, but I wanted to finish reading this and get a review out before it publishes tomorrow!

This novel follows Necessity, the best gardener in London, and Oliver, an Earl whose fraught childhood and horrible father have left him with all kinds of scars.

These two had explosive chemistry from their first meeting. The tension between them was palpable and I couldn't wait for the fireworks between them to finally go off. Watching them both slowly bring their walls down was a delight, and I loved how multi-faceted they both were-- I was never sure what exactly one of them might say or do next.

Sumner has a deft hand with detail and description. We know that Necessity smells of rain and earth, and that Oliver's eyes are moonlight striking stone. She also gives each chapter a diverting title-- sometimes I wanted to skip ahead just to see what the next one would be. My personal favorite was 'Where an Intrepid Gardner Seethes and an Arrogant Earl Persists."

Necessity is a very strong main character, the exact kind of female I love to read about in this time period. She is independent and would rather remain so than settle; she's interested in exploring in the bedroom and not ashamed of that, and she has many interests outside of Oliver to keep her busy and happy-- though of course, she just might come to decided that she's happier with him. 

Despite this, there were a few things that prevented me from giving this a 5-star rating. One is superficially petty--I could not fully get over the heroine's name. I understand the concept of virtue names, but this one is so uncommon as to be confusing. Often paragraphs would begin with her name and I'd initially not fully grasp that they meant a person-- I'd be thinking what necessity? Where? The cutesy nickname of 'Nessie' bestowed on her by Oliver didn't make the name any better for me, but at least eliminated my confusion.

My other complaint concerns the wider story beyond the romance. I feel that it's incredibly important for books in historical romance series to be able to stand alone. If you following a series and are able to gain additional enjoyment from seeing the characters you fell in love with in prior books again, that's amazing, but it shouldn't be necessary to the book you are currently reading. When it is, I think it's a huge barrier to new readers and even to old ones who may not vividly remember characters from prior books. There were several moments when it was difficult for me to follow the dynamics and relationships between Oliver, his friends, and their wives. I found myself first trying desperately and fruitlessly to understand what was going on with these characters backstories, and then just skimming past them to focus on the romance and the relationship between Oliver and his brother. I wish the author had done the same.

I would recommend this to fans of Historical Romance, but if you haven't read the other books in the Duchess Society series I think you have to brace for not always fully understanding who's who and what's going on with the wider cast of characters.

I received a copy from NetGalley and BookBuzz.net in exchange for an honest review.