Book Review: "Too Wilde to Wed" by Eloisa James

Full disclosure: I received a free advance reader copy of this book in my work as a librarian and in exchange for an honest review.

Eloisa James is a powerhouse of the historical romance genre, and reading "Too Wilde to Wed," I was reminded why. 

"Too Wilde to Wed" is a fantastic example of what can be done with a historical romance; it fits perfectly into the genre while also feeling new and exciting. 

The book follows North, heir to a dukedom, who is shocked when he returns from war to find his ex-fiance, Diana, who jilted him, working as a governess in North's home, Lindow Castle. 

I am really enjoying the continuing saga of the Wildes - I am currently reading an ARC of the next book, Born to be Wilde. Readers who are fans of quirky families, like Lisa Kleypas' Hathaways and Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, will likely find a lot to love with the Wildes, too. I'm a particular fan of Fitzy, Lindow Castle's resident peacock. I also greatly enjoy the drama that comes with the Wilde family being though of as, well, wild by the press and the people of Britain, and the consequences of that. 

I found "Too Wilde to Wed" particularly delightful, even though our hero and heroine suffer from a bad case of Not-Talking-About-It-itis that plagues so many couples that could otherwise be happy. Still, James' smart writing and a whole group of colorful characters makes this one well worth reading! 

Book Review: "Unmasked by the Marquess" by Cat Sebastian

Full disclosure: I received a free advance reader copy of this book in my work as a librarian and in exchange for an honest review.

I have been following Cat Sebastian's career with interest since her first book, "The Soldier's Scoundrel," was published. I had been DYING to read "Unmasked by the Marquess," the first book in the Regency Imposters series, and also her first romance novel that isn't M/M. However, this is far from a traditional romance.

One of the things I love about Sebastian is that she takes romance tropes and makes them fit into LGBTQ stories, and it's on display particularly well here. "Unmasked by the Marquess" follows the grumpy, bisexual Alistair de Lacey, Marquess of Pembroke, who finds himself intrigued by - and maybe falling in love with - a young country squire named Mr. Robert Selby, in London for the Season to see his sister, Louisa, make an adventageous match. However, Selby is actually a former maid named Charity Church, who has been dressing as Robert so long that she really doesn't identify as a woman anymore. It takes the trope of the woman-dressed-as-a-man and makes it far more interesting - and a realistic experience of a non-binary person. 

Because it's Cat Sebastian, it's also funny, sexy, and sweet. Sebastian always has some comedy and a good amount of sexytimes in her books, but there's always an underlying sweetness that leaves me swooning. And, there are also several mysteries to discover as Alistair and Robin (Alistair's pet name for Robert/Charity) slowly reveal themselves to each other throughout the book. It's really an almost perfectly written book, and as much as I've loved all of Sebastian's books (especially "It Takes Two to Tumble," which featured a lot of my particular romance catnips), I think "Unmasked by the Marquess" might be my favorite. 

Goodreads Review: "Beyond the Highland Mist"

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have soft spots in my heart for romance novels, time travel and Scottish hotties, so of course I thoroughly enjoyed "Beyond the Highland Mist."

The book follows Adrienne, a woman with a scary past she'd love to escape, who is magically zapped back to 16th-century Scotland and almost immediately wed to the strong, sexy alpha male Sidheach, a Scottish laird better known as the Hawk. She, of course, immediately hates him, because she hates beautiful men and he is GORGEOUS, and the Hawk immediately falls madly in love with her.

What follows is a lovely tale of seduction and romance made more exciting (and difficult) with the addition of fairies stirring up trouble between the couple - as they do.

OK, so it's not a perfect book. The Hawk is a little bit overly alpha and acts decidedly un-modern in a few places (he is a 16th-century Scottish alpha male, after all!), although Karen Marie Moning does a pretty good job of tempering his nasty tendencies with some softness, too. Adrienne is a strong heroine most of the time, too, although she is a bit too passive for my taste at times (I prefer my heroines to be at least 95% sassy all the time).

The characters I really, really like in "Beyond the Highland Mist" are the secondary characters - The Hawk's mother, the Roma, the fairies. Even if I didn't know that there are several more Highlander books and the related Fever series, I would know that Moning was attempting, and succeeding, at world-building with this book. I'm tantalized, and not just by the steamy scenes (although they were tantalizing - my sister, a romance novel expert, was not lying when she said Moning's books are deliciously naughty!).

I thoroughly enjoyed "Beyond the Highland Mist," and I will certainly be continuing to read this delightful series!

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