The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

Reviewed by Cassandra, Librarian at Mary Jacobs Library

It must be Valentine's Day because I seem to have flooded my eReader with romances. My recent grab is the latest book by Eloisa James, The Duke is Mine. It was a great pick for a cold weekend. We follow the quirky heroine Olivia Lytton who has been betrothed since childhood to a family friend. All of her family's expendable income has been spent on training her to be a duchess - to actually run a duke's estate since her betrothed was born with some difficulties. Olivia knows she will never have a happily ever after but she hopes her status will help her sister Georgiana secure an engagement to the handsome Duke of Sconce. However, it is the strong, fiery and sensual Olivia that grabs the Duke's attention and heart. Scandal! The Duke is Mine is a fun and whimsical with moments of laugh out loud hilarity and weird antics that can only be found in the fictional world of regency romance. If you've enjoyed Julia Quinn's Just Like Heaven or Lady Most Likely than the latest Eloisa James may be a good bet!

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Jane Austen’s timeless classic Pride and Prejudice has been revisited by bestselling mystery author P.D. James.  The mystery takes place five years after Darcy and Elizabeth wed on the grounds of Pemberley.  A man is discovered dead in the arms of Wickham (the rogue who married Lydia Bennett) and he is charged with murder.  Darcy and Elizabeth can see Wickham being guilty of many crimes, but murder isn’t one of them. Will they be able to clear his name?  Why did the two men (Wickham and the victim) leave their carriage while crossing Pemberley’s woods? 

Told in a voice similar to Austen’s this is a meandering tale of everyday life and how a crime can upset entire households during the aftermath (inquest, trial, etc.)  I think James did an admirable job telling a mystery as Austen might have, but in my opinion the mystery was lacking.  There was no chance for the reader to figure out much of anything about the crime, we weren’t given enough background to formulate any hypotheses.  The reasoning for the murder made sense when all was revealed, yet it was uncovered in one fell sweep towards the end.

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Kate has been having a rough time of it.  She is recently divorced, lost custody of her beloved poodle, and is living in her family’s wreck of a summer home (the Nutshell) which she is determined to restore and make into a bed and breakfast.  Biggest problem is she’s broke, some idiot owns the mortgage on her house, and she just got fired for serving skunky beer to a customer.  So she marches right down to the brewery that made the skunky beer and demands a job.  She gets it, and more.  If she finds out who has been sabotaging the brewery she’ll get a $20,000 bonus.  And she gets to work closely with her gorgeous boss, Matt, so how could anything possibly go wrong?

In typical Evanovich fashion things go astoundingly wrong, but this is a standalone mystery/romance so you do get a wrapped up story unlike the whole Joe/Ranger thing that’s been going on in her popular numbers series.  If you like quirky humor, cutesy romance and a surprisingly good mystery you may want to visit the shores of Lake Michigan in Love in a Nutshell.

If you’re a fan of the Stephanie Plum books on audio you’ll really enjoy this since the same reader, Lorelei King, reads both.  However, be warned, you’ll be confusing Kate Appleton with Stephanie Plum (she really likes fruit doesn’t she?) in your mind.

Mad About the Earl by Christina Brooke

Mad About the Earl by Christina Brooke

Everyone has their guilty pleasure reading and in February I have to read some romance.  Preferably a paperback romance.  For me good romances come in small packages.  I like them because they are just plain fun and you know everything is going to end well.  This one is no exception. 

This is a typical Regency romance, that is a sexier than most.  If you like your repartee witty and your shirts flounced this will hit the mark.  The uniqueness of this book lies in the personalities and appearances of the hero and heroine.  The hero is a brawny, burly and scarred man who sees himself as a beast.  His beauty is a gorgeous damsel who is stronger than her looks would make her seem.  While it is an arranged match, it is a match that both approve of, yet neither can believe the other could possibly be happy with them. 

The Sisters by Nancy Jensen

The Sisters by Nancy Jensen

This is the story of how multiple generations can be affected by one incident in the lives of their ancestors.  As two sisters are torn apart at the beginning of the novel you see how a point at time trickles through time to affect future relationships between mothers and daughters and sisters.  At the heart it is the story of multiple pairs of sisters and how they relate, annoy and care for each other.

Told chronologically yet by multiple narrators each chapter is almost a short story on its own.  It helps to get the different perspectives to understand the motivations of each character’s actions and how they affect the other characters.  It was interesting to see a daughter become a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and how she changes as she takes on different roles.

I would consider this a well-written debut novel.  Even thought there are multiple perspectives being presented the helpful family tree in the beginning of the book isn’t really needed.  Each woman has her own unique voice.  The takeaway from this book is communication.  I found myself wanting to shake many of the women and yell at them to talk, open up, say something, but in each of the circumstances as frustrating as the non-communication was, it was understandable. 

The Angel Makers by Jessica Gregson

The Angel Makers by Jessica Gregson

I was intrigued when I read in a review that this novel was based on a true story.  This is the story of life in a rural village in Hungary that spans the years leading up to, during, and after World War I.  Sari Arany is the main character, a young herbalist trained by her doctor father before he passed away.  As the story progresses and the years go by with hardly any men in the village the women get used to the way life has changed.  They are friendly with each other, tease each other and are very relaxed in their manner.  Then the war ends and everything changes when the male residents return to the village.

Men that were abusive become even more tyrannical and men who seemed kind are anything but.  It is this dynamic that forces Sari’s hand and turns her from healer to an accessory to murder.  She provides the poisons which make problems go away.  She is the angel maker, another name for an abortionist, yet now she is helping make much bigger angels.

This is a wonderful psychological study of a town of women who find freedom and then lose it and their reactions to their circumstances.  Human nature really shows its true stripes when the plot comes crashing down under investigation.  For fans of historical fiction, women’s fiction and psychological thrillers.

The Vault by Boyd Morrison

The Vault by Boyd Morrison

What if Midas really had the touch that turned things into gold?  What if after centuries the touch of his mummified remains still had the same effect?  What if the directions to the tomb were found yet the evil mastermind couldn’t decipher them?  He’d kidnap an expert in mechanical engineering and an expert in the classics and persuade them (read: threaten their loved ones) to help him find the treasure.

From Puget Sound to the old aqueduct tunnels under Naples our team of treasure hunters is on a race against time to find the vault.  If you like adventure books that travel the world following clues (like Steve Berry, James Rollins and Andy McDermott) you will probably enjoy this one as well.  Fun on audio because the narrator does some great accents.  I especially liked his Scottish brogue and his American Sean Connery sound-alike!

The science behind the Midas touch, the ability to change matter to gold, is a fascinating one.  Morrison really put his thinking cap on to come up with this one.