Friday's Recommendation

Yet he had smiled at her...

This had been a full-faced, radiant smile, curving his mouth, crinkling his eyes at the corners, brightening his whole face. All the dark, forbidding harshness had fled, to be replaced by a beauty full of light and warmth and potential laughter.

It had been somehow, strangely, more intimate than any of their couplings had been. Something deep within him, some joy brighter than the sun, had reached out to envelop her, to enfold her more closely than arms...

He had smiled at her.

✯✯✯

From Slightly Married, by Mary Balogh. This book is incredibly romantic. Treat yourself this weekend!

All my best,

Penelope

Review of Simply Love by Mary Balogh

Happy Valentine's Day! Since this is one of my favorite romance novels, I thought I would re-post my review from last year. It is an incredibly romantic Beauty and the Beast tale by Mary Balogh, who is pretty much the queen of true romance in this genre....

Simply Love by Mary Balogh (2007)

A friend of mine once commented on the fact that Mary Balogh does not have a sense of humor. True, there is no humor in her historicals, unlike Amanda Quick or Julie Garwood. Balogh's stories are serious, sometimes emotionally wrenching, and perhaps even somber in tone. But I defy anyone to find a writer whose endings are as emotionally satisfying, and whose characters are as romantic as Balogh's. Simply Love is one of the most touching and satisfying stories I have ever read. I cry repeatedly while reading this book. Balogh introduced Anne Jewell and Sydnam Butler (Sydnam, I love you!) in previous books as secondary characters, and thank the good Lord, she resurrected them in this wonderful tale. Both have been badly beaten down by the events of their lives. Their stilted dialogue and awkward courtship blossom into something glorious and life-affirming for both of them. The symmetry of this story, two broken souls who are able to provide each other with the will and strength to embrace life once again, is simply perfect. My only complaint about Simply Love is that I felt bereft when I finished it. I wanted more! It's everything romance should be. Grade: A+

Hoping all of you are enjoying a romantic holiday,

Penelope

Review of Seducing An Angel by Mary Balogh

Seducing An Angel by Mary Balogh

Mary Balogh is breaking my heart. As I mentioned previously, I was wary of this new Huxtable family series. Could they possibly compare to the Bedwyns? --one of the most memorable and fabulous families of romance novel history? I was skeptical, and it appears for good reason. I could tell right from the get-go that Constantine was the most interesting character in this family, and his story has yet to be told. Why did Balogh need to release so many books in such a short amount of time? Not sure what's up with this blitzkrieg of releases, but my feeling is that her writing suffered accordingly. There's something to be said for waiting a whole year for this priceless treasure, a new Balogh book! Yeah, sometimes it's painful, but it makes the book all the more special.

This series started with First Comes Marriage, which offered some possibilities and a sweet love story. The second installment, Then Comes Seduction, was not good. Boring characters make for boring stories. The third book, At Last Comes Love, was a huge improvement, since the characters (particularly the hero Duncan) were much more interesting. However, Balogh has fallen again with Stephen's story, Seducing An Angel. I must admit I never found his character all that intriguing in the previous books. These Huxtables are much too tame for Balogh's usual sense of drama. I also don't really dig heroes with cherubic blonde curls...I know, that's my own personal preference, but there you have it. Now, if he looked like an angel, but was really a devil....that would have made a cool story! But no, he looked like an angel, and he basically is an angel. Bor-ing! Once again, the non-Huxtable characters turn out to be much more interesting -- Cassandra is rumored to have axe-murdered her husband and is now determined to live as a courtesan to survive. The very things that I usually love about Balogh books, such as the long-winded dialogue teasing apart the definition of love, etc., etc., are starting to wear on my nerves. If the characters aren't up to the task, then her books are not successful. Because I am a huge Balogh fan, I'm going to give this book a B-, mostly for effort! (I think you can all tell why my ninth grade science students loved me, right? Easy grader, in addition to showing Arnold Schwarzenegger movies during lab!). But for those of you who are looking for something as wonderful as Simply Love or More Than A Mistress, you will be sorely disappointed. Grade: B-

Thinking I should wait and buy the paperback next time,

Penelope

Review of At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh

At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh

The first book of the new Huxtable series by Balogh was sweet (First Comes Marriage).  The second one (Then Comes Seduction) was a snoozer.  The third one, At Last Comes Love, really rocked my boat. Why? The characters. It's all about the characters.  The premise of this book is wickedly delicious...Duncan Pennethorne must marry within fifteen days, before his grandfather's 80th birthday, or lose his family home and income.  Margaret Huxtable is desperate for a quickie fiancee to fling in her ex-lover's face.  These two run (literally) into each other at Lady Tindell's ball.  Duncan asks the beautiful stranger in his arms..."What is your hurry? Why not stay and dance with me? And then marry me and live happily ever after with me?"  Margaret responds, "Does it have to be in that order?"  Oh, what a perfectly fabulous hook!! Long live Mary Balogh!! Duncan is an absolute blacksheep of the ton who, according to the gossip mill, left his last bride at the altar and took off with her married sister.  The dark secrets he hides about the truth of this scenario slowly unfold, and we (and of course Margaret) realize he is actually a man of honor.  Margaret seems to be an over-the-hill spinster who spent her marriageable years taking care of her younger siblings.  She turns out to have an iron will and a repressed sensuality that her new husband nurtures.  The scene where she meets Duncan's grandfather is priceless! Margaret parries with the crotchety old coot and ends up victorious.  She's not such a dull miss after all.  This delightful story is Balogh all the way...the awakening sensuality of a new bride, the shocking secret lives of the ton, the blossoming courtship between two lonely souls.  Stephen's story, Seducing An Angel, is next, and I can't wait.  At Last Comes Love is...simply delightful! Grade: A

Wishing all of you a Happy Monday,

Penelope

A Couple of Snoozers

I have read a bevy of great books lately, but I've also slept through a couple. Mary Balogh's Then Comes Seduction is not her best work. Katherine Huxtable is just plain boring and so is the story. Margaret's story, At Last Comes Love, is next in line and looks more promising. I'm looking forward to it since I love Balogh and was disappointed in Then Comes Seduction.  My worry that the Huxtables could never compare to the Bedwyns is unfortunately coming true.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next installment.

I also read Christine Feehan's Burning Wild this past week. Not her best effort, I must say. First of all, the beginning of the book details Jake's horrific child abuse at the hands of his parents.  Call me funny, but I just don't think child abuse and romance mix all that well. (This is one of the reasons I don't love contemporary romance...I don't want to be reminded of the horrors of real life, I'm looking for escape.) The rest of the book is basically...well, boring. Hard to believe that a shape-shifting Christine Feehan book could be boring, but there you have it. Too much whining, introspection, how can I learn to love after my shiteous upbringing, blah, blah, blah. And Emma is too good to be true. I am looking forward to the release of the final Drake Sisters novel, Hidden Currents (Elle's story), which will be out on June 30 (my birthday!).  Also, Feehan's newest Carpathian novel Dark Slayer will be released in September of 2009. Dark Slayer is the story of Ivory Malinov and Razvan, and should be a fascinating book. I can't wait!

After finishing Jacquie d'Alessandro's Tempted at Midnight, I went back to read some of her oldies.  I just finished re-reading Red Roses Mean Love (1999), and I want to heartily recommend this book to those of you who have not checked it out.  D'Alessandro is truly a brilliant historical romance writer, and this touching, humorous story is a keeper! 

Please leave a comment with any and all suggestions for me, especially if you have read a romance lately that you adored!

Thanks, Penelope

Review of First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh

She felt beautiful.

She felt cherished.

Ah, how I truly adore the prose of Mary Balogh.  After I read these two sentences in her latest book, I realized this is why women love romance novels...because secretly we all want to feel beautiful and cherished, and we are sure to find these pure sentiments in Balogh's exquisitely crafted stories.  After exhausting the Bedwyn family in her "Simply" series, Balogh has moved on to the Huxtables, who are introduced in First Comes Marriage.  Frankly, I wonder if she will be able to create a family as superb as the Bedwyns, who are truly one of the most memorable of romance families. First Comes Marriage is the story of Vanessa Huxtable Dew and Elliott Wallace, and is somewhat reminiscent for me of More Than A Mistress, one of my all-time favorite romances.  Vanessa is an interesting character...a "plain Jane" with a joy for life and an intense loyalty to her family.  Elliott, much to his surprise, finds himself falling in lust and love with his wife "of convenience."  What I most admire about Balogh's writing is how she distills everything down to the most fundamentally important components of a love story...namely, love.  And joy. And pride, which threatens the path to happiness, of course. There is a starkness to her stories I find incredibly satisfying.  Not every author can elicit the feeling of spring by describing something as simple as a field of daffodils on a sunny day.  Balogh is truly a wonderful writer.  Although the rest of the family did not spark a lot of interest, Constantine, the outcast illegitimate cousin, is quite fascinating.  I cannot wait to read more about him!   I highly recommend First Comes Marriage, a quintessential Balogh novel, and look forward to more promising stories in this series about the Huxtable family. Grade: A

Hoping for Spring, Penelope

A Blast from the Past: Review of Simply Love by Mary Balogh

Simply Love by Mary Balogh (2007)

A friend of mine once commented on the fact that Mary Balogh does not have a sense of humor. True, there is no humor in her historicals, unlike Amanda Quick or Julie Garwood.  Balogh's stories are serious, sometimes emotionally wrenching, and perhaps even somber in tone. But I defy anyone to find a writer whose endings are as emotionally satisfying, and whose characters are as romantic as Balogh's.  Simply Love is one of the most touching and satisfying stories I have ever read.  I cry repeatedly while reading this book.  Balogh introduced Anne Jewell and Sydnam Butler (Sydnam, I love you!) in previous books as secondary characters, and thank the good Lord, she resurrected them in this wonderful tale.  Both have been badly beaten down by the events of their lives.  Their stilted dialogue and awkward courtship blossom into something glorious and life-affirming for both of them.  The symmetry of this story, two broken souls who are able to provide each other with the will and strength to embrace life once again, is simply perfect.  My only complaint about Simply Love is that I felt bereft when I finished it.  I wanted more!  It's everything romance should be. Grade: A+

Feeling inspired, Penelope