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 #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 :)

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. 

Love on the Line by Anabelle Bryant

 

Love on the Line by Anabelle Bryant

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

"It was the spark that set the inferno ablaze."

This novel follows Lola, a tightrope walker at Vauxhall who is trying to outrun her past, and Theodore, an Earl who only wants to solve the murder of his best friend. The twist? Lola saw the murder happen while she was walking the rope. Who did it will keep you guessing for the rest of the book as Lola and Theodore investigate-- and, of course, fall in love along the way.

I was immediately swept into the beauty and magic of Vauxhall, where Lola preformed. More than once, I found myself wishing that it was still open so I could travel to London and visit myself. After reading this book it's actually incredible to me that more authors don't exploit Vauxhall as a setting in their own Regency Romances. I loved experiencing it on the page and am eager to read further books in Bryant's Vauxhall Voices series, even if only to hear about the waterfall again.

Often, when there's a mystery in a romance book I grow frustrated and just want to see more of the romance, but that was not the case here. I absolutely loved the main mystery of who had killed Theodore's friend, and I also enjoyed the secondary mystery regarding Lola's own past and what exactly had happened to her. Her story is revealed slowly over the course of the book and really held my attention throughout. While both threads were ultimately resolved extremely neatly, I didn't anticipate either resolution and had a lot of fun guessing along the way.

However, the romance itself was mediocre to me. Lola and Theodore had many sweet and tender moments that drew me in, such as her telling him she finds him remarkably attractive in his spectacles. However, their relationship in reality could most accurately be described as insta-lust. Theodore in particular is an incredibly upstanding and moral person, the kind of man any woman would want to be with. But the truth is that Lola has no awareness of that or reason to believe that the first several times that she falls into his arms, overcome by lust. For his part, Theodore spends most of the book not knowing a huge secret Lola is keeping from him-- in fact, you could argue he barely knows her at all. He doesn't even know her real name.

Despite this, their story is sweet, and their love scenes are steamy (in the case of the spectacles, at one point quite literally). I would definitely recommend this to fans of Historical Romance who don't mind a murder mystery featuring quite heavily in the plot.

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

NetGalley Check-In #1

This past week I finally went ahead and joined NetGalley after hearing about it for years. I always assumed it was for bloggers who were more 'professional' and had bigger followings than me, so I gave it a pass. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately given the backlog of books that I already have there) someone tipped me off that they also have a Read Now section, so I decided to give it a try and join up.

I immediately completed the rookie mistake of requesting way too many books, so I guess at least that's out of the way and I can proceed to the fun part-- the joy of reading and reviewing!

FEEDBACK RATIO

First I'm going to go ahead and share my current feedback ratio-- a whooping 38%. NetGalley recommends that this number be above 80%, so that's a little cringe, but I'm working hard to catch up!

BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK

I managed to read 5 books that I was approved for or grabbed from the Read Now section during the past week. I'm mostly going through my NetGalley Shelf in order by Publication Date, but I mixed it up a bit. 

I absolutely loved Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau. It comes out on January 24 and you should absolutely RUN to read it. The Pact by Roberta Kagan and The Runaway Viscount by Darcy Burke sadly left less of an impression. I enjoyed sharing both Animal Opposites by Nikolas Ilic and Booook! A Spooky High Contrast Book by duopress labs with my 2 year old, though she's growing too fast and has outpaced high contrast now :) I'll have reviews of those up closer to their release dates.

BOOKS TO READ

I still have 8 books on my shelf, though I'm just about halfway done with Love on the Line by Anabelle Bryant and One Wedding and an Earl by Tracy Sumner, both of which come out in a few days.

The other 6 books patiently waiting on my shelf are Love a Lady at Midnight by Charlie Lane, Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin, Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir, The Lady Knows Best by Susanna Craig, The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane, and Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison. Hopefully I'll have more to share next week about how much I enjoyed some of these!