Review: The Dangerous Duke

The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells

This is a new author for me and I believe Christine Wells' second book. The plot is a bit confusing to explain, so I'll just sum up. An arsonist has burned the home of the new Duke of Lyle, killing his relatives. He is determined to find the arsonist and uses all his skills as an agent for the Home Office to find them. He jails the vicar, who is hiding information about the arsonists, and kidnaps the vicar's older sister, widow Kate Fairchild, to persuade the vicar to reveal the perpetrators. Of course the Duke falls for Kate.

This was a solid 'B' read. My biggest criticism of the book is the plot is too convoluted. There are many elements and none of the subplots are fully developed. Without giving too much away, there is a love triangle, of sorts, a secondary romance, betrayal, a murder attempt, and a second kidnapping. The story is just too busy and results in a lack of focus.

The books biggest strength is the characters and their relationship. The hero and heroine are very likable. Kate is a frustrated widow, who longs for love. Lyle, the new duke, realizes the good qualities in Kate and easily decides to settle down. The author very nicely handles the tension in their relationship. Lyle deceives Kate before he begins their relationship. He knows what he's done is wrong and worries about her reaction. When she finally finds out he apologizes most sincerely. She's upset but doesn't do anything stupid (like run away and put herself in danger) and then she forgives him. The author never took the easy way out but allowed the characters to act like real people.

I think this author has a lot of potential. Overall, a good read.

Grade: B

Review: Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie or Why I Like What I Like

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

This book has gotten a lot of hype and good reviews online, in part because the hero is so unique.

Lord Ian Mackenzie, a younger son is considered mad in 1881, London. He had been institutionalized but is now returned to his family where he helps his oldest brother, Hartland, the Duke of Kilmorgan. Ian's excellent memory and facility with numbers has increased the family fortunes and become indispensable to Hart's work in diplomacy. Ian meets a colleague's fiancee, Beth, realizes that he doesn't deserve her and talks her out of the betrothal. The book continues as Ian persues Beth amidst an investigation into two murders of which he has been accused.

Lord Ian suffers from what we today would call Asperberger's syndrome. He dislikes crowds, can focus intently on an object and will rarely look anyone in the eye. I give the author a lot of credit for writing a hero who is on the autism spectrum. I'm not very familiar with autism but Ian displays characteristics of the condition consistently throughout the book. The author doesn't pretty it up either; Ian suffers from rages and we see how that affects his family.

However, while I can appreciate that the author wrote something different from so many other historical romances, and I'm all for greater diversity in settings and characters, I didn't really enjoy the book. It comes down to this for me: I have to make an emotional connection with the characters. I have to find their situation believable, agree, or at least understand, their actions and care that they deserve their HEA. This is a completely subjective but explains why I keep reading Sabrina Jeffries. Her plots are unoriginal and her writing is not very sophisticated but she ALWAYS makes me care about her characters. Unfortunately Ian and Beth left me cold.

Grade: B (for originality)

Review: Accidental Goddess

An Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair

I picked this up because this author has gotten great reviews. I've also heard a lot of good things about her by word of mouth.

After her crystal spaceship is damaged in battle, Captain Gillaine Davre' wakes up in a Khalaran sick bay to discover that she has traveled forward in time over three hundred years. More distressing, she realizes that in the intervening years she has been designated a goddess . Gillie is not able to satisfactorily explain her presence on Cirrus One Space Station to the station commander Rynan Makarian. He questions her a few times and during those interviews an attraction develops.

Gillie is a sorceress and it is her duty to protect the Khalarans. In fact it was during a battle to repel the evil Fav'lhir, that she and her ship jumped into the future. Gillie is determined to conceal her identity as the Goddess for a few reasons, not least of which is that she fears it will kill her blossoming relationship with Admiral Makarian. When the Fav'lhir plot to take over Cirrus One, Gillie must use her powers to save the space station.

The character of Gillie is really great. She is strong and powerful, the most powerful person on the station, yet still vulnerable in her relationship with Rynan. Because she is trying to keep a low profile, she becomes a type of reluctant hero and it was enjoyable to watch her finally unleash her powers. Rynan, in turn makes a nice hero. While he is shocked and confused when he discovers Gillie's identity and feels unworthy of her love, he never rejects her. Even though the romantic relationship is important to the story, this was firmly in the science fiction genre. It was a great romance for a science fiction story but not a great romance.

My only complaints was that the plot was a bit convoluted and I didn't care for the presence of magic in this sci-fi story. Still this was a solid story with plenty of action, an interesting plot and strong characters. Very nice for something different.

My grade: B