Seven Tales From King Arthur’s Court by John Erskine, Albert Seligman (editor)

June 5, 2023 By 1 Comment


Seven Tales From King Arthur’s Court by John Erskine, Albert Seligman (editor)
Publisher: Markosia Enterprises Ltd.
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

These “Seven Tales” were published in 1940 in The American Weekly Sunday magazine and have never been seen since. They showcase watercolors by English artist Edmund Dulac, who was one of the Golden Age illustrators. The texts were written by noted American author and musician John Erskine.

Chivalry never goes out of fashion.

The first half of this book included background information on the social history of King Arthur, a short explanation of how fantasy writing styles have changed over the last eighty years, and some brief biographies of the people who were involved in the original publication of these adventures. I was impressed by how much effort the author put into this section and grateful to have it. These details brought so much depth to what came after them, and they made certain scenes stand out to me as a reader in ways that I might not have fully understood if I hadn’t been made aware of certain facts ahead of time. While it wasn’t the only reason why I chose a full five-star rating, it was definitely a contributing factor.

Accolon stole King Arthur’s famous sword, the ‘Excalibur,’ in “The Tale of The Enchantress and the Magic Scabbard.” How that theft took place is best left for others to find out for themselves, but I was fascinated by Accolon’s gumption and King Arthur’s reaction when he realized that the sword in his scabbard wasn’t the one he usually used. This was an exciting adventure that made me wish to keep reading it.

None of the other King Arthur tales I’ve ever read were about the blood of Christ, so I was intrigued by the premise of “The Tale of Sir Galahad and his Quest for the Sangreal.” I liked the way the narrator plainly shared what happened to Galahad on his quest without leaping into the emotions of those moments no matter how much danger the characters might be in. It was quite unlike anything I’ve written from contemporary authors, and it often made me pause to reread certain sentences again.

After an uninvited guest was kidnapped during a dinner at the round table, Pellinore went to save her in “The Tale of Merlin and One of the Ladies of the Lake.” Merlin’s involvement in all of this is something that new readers should discover for themselves. I found it delightfully surprising and smiled at every plot twist along the way. The creative final scene fit the theme perfectly, and I only wish I could go into detail about it without giving away spoilers. What I can say is that it was a humorous way to end things.

Seven Tales From King Arthur’s Court was a thrilling read from beginning to end.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

* The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

June 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


*The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.

The Duchess Takes A Husband is an enchanting historical romance that held me spellbound from start to finish. Harper St. James knows how to paint a picture and she did a wonderful job telling Jacob and Camille’s story. The writing is realistic and made me feel like I was right there. The characters are interesting and unique as they yearn for each other in this slow burn romance. They have tons of chemistry and I loved reading their story and also enjoyed all the entertaining secondary characters. I knew what the two main characters were thinking because the author gives us both of their points of view throughout the story.

This story takes place as the suffragette movement is just starting. Women are so constrained, they are either under the thumb of their parents, or the man they marry. The reader is taken back in time to the beginning of the movement, and we are shown how hard women worked to gain their freedom in a male dominated world.

Camille has been told what to do her entire life and she never realized she had choices. As she learns about the suffragette movement her eyes are opened to the possibilities a woman can have. Jacob is wonderful and understanding and just the type of man Camille needs in her life.

This story has engaging characters and a good plot line. I immediately liked Jacob and Camille and thought they were perfect for each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I am sure you will too.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin

May 30, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
Publisher: Europa Editions
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne, France. Traversing the grounds by unicycle, tending to her many gardens—and being present for the intimate, often humorous confidences of visitors—Violette’s life follows the predictable rhythms of mourning. But then Violette’s routine is disrupted by the arrival of Julien Sole, the local police chief.

Julien has come to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that Julien’s inexplicable gesture is intertwined with Violette’s own complicated past.

What would it be like to be a young caretaker of a cemetery? What would you learn and experience from this? Violette often ponders the lives of the dead as she looks at their birth and death dates. She has her own issues to deal with as well. She wants to be happy. She is deserted by her husband and loves her daughter; then tragedy hits.

The years roll on as Violette describes her life, her loves, family, friends, and the search for answers. Her narration and insights are written as if a friend were speaking in an elegant way, but she makes many lists throughout the story. Her thoughts and observations offer readers a lot to think about and touch upon many emotions.

The book is layered and complex and crosses time and characters’ perspectives. It starts with Violette appreciating the good she could find in things around her, but the book takes a turn into more serious territory.

It is an intelligent story with cleverness abounding. Turns of action and discoveries will take readers by surprise. The mood is enveloping, and one will be treated to French culture along the way. Why not check out this character-driven tale of a woman with unusual life circumstances and be entertained while being given plenty to think about?

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Racing Through the Snow by Gracie Guy

May 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Racing Through the Snow by Gracie Guy
A Dickens Holiday Romance, Book 13
Publisher: Summer’s Gift Publishing
Genre: Holiday, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Dane Rutger, a life-time Manhattanite, spent summers as a teenager in Dickens. Memories of those idyllic days propelled him to return to that special town for a stress- free holiday. After a soul-sucking, COVID lockdown, induced divorce and overwhelming professional volatility, Dane desperately needs a break and decides to try something he hasn’t done in years, riding lessons at Creekside Riding Academy.

Mari Lincoln, a Dickens home-town girl, left at eighteen to ride showjumpers for a living. After the heart-breaking death of her husband and the slow destruction of her career, she returns to take over the floundering Creekside Riding Academy. When she walks into the barn for the first time in many years, the first person she sees is her summer crush, Dane Rutger. Little does she know Dane had always had a soft spot for her.

Fighting the signs of their rekindled attraction, Mari and Dane team up to plan the first ever Christmas Derby to raise money for the Dickens Community Center. Success could be three-fold; the community center gets funds needed for after school programs, it might just save her family’s stable and maybe, she’ll even get a second chance at love.

Racing, horses, Christmas and romance. What’s not to love about this book?

I picked this book up because I love the work of Gracie Guy. The writing plucks along at a great clip and the characters are inviting. I couldn’t put it down. Not a bit. I don’t know the first thing about horses or racing or riding, but I didn’t feel lost when reading this story. I felt like I was right there with the characters.

The romance is great, too. I liked the chemistry between Mari and Dane. They’ve always been a little in love with each other but coming home and coming clean is best. I liked the way the town rallied around them, too. This felt a lot like a Hallmark story, and it was so fulfilling. I’m glad I read it. In fact, I went looking for more Gracie Guy and more from this series.

If you like a sweet romance set at Christmas with horses and fun, then this is the book for you. Highly recommended.

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The Secrets She Learns by Jacqueline Diamond

May 16, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Secrets She Learns by Jacqueline Diamond
(Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances Book 4)
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Shocking secrets, unexpected love, a cold-case mystery—and a nosy beagle!

At the age of 50, nurse Anni discovers she has two half sisters, both of whom were hurt by a con man who has disappeared. Determined to bring her new family together and unravel the past, she hires a handsome P.I., and gets more than she bargained for. That includes his newly adopted dog, who isn’t shy about fostering a romance or digging up evidence.

Former police detective Jon, now in business for himself, is frustrated by the one who got away, a swindler who tricked folks including Jon’s own mother out of their savings. His new neighbor, appealingly warm-spirited Anni, is more than the perfect client. She’s also a woman who sends the barriers around his heart crashing to the ground.

It’s never too late to make things right again.

The dialogue was realistic and well done. It made sense to me to see the many similarities in speech between the characters since so many of them had grown up in the same community and never left it. Little details like that are part of the reason why I look forward to seeing what Ms. Diamond has come up with next. When added together, they have such a positive influence not only on character development but also on the reading experience.

I was intrigued by the mystery storyline in this tale, so it was a little disappointing to see how much space was actually dedicated to it. While I understand that this series is a romance first and foremost, there was so much more the author could have done with the mystery the audience was introduced to. I would have gone with a higher rating if she gave it a better opportunity to shine.

Just like in any small town, everyone was connected to each other in all sorts of different ways. I once again enjoyed figuring out what those connections were and what the characters really thought of each other. One of the benefits of growing up in such a small place is that many people have known each other since childhood and have a lifetime of memories, both positive and negative, to draw upon when running into friends, relatives, enemies, and exes while out and about in town. Ms. Diamond always does a good job of including these sorts of complicated webs of relationships in her stories that both push the plot forward and explore how complicated and political small town life can be.

This is the fourth book in a series. While it technically can be read as a standalone work, keeping track of the large cast of characters will be easier for readers who have read everything in order so far.

The Secrets She Learns was an interesting mixture of themes and genres.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

*Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

May 16, 2023 By Leave a Comment


*Deep Tide by Laura Griffin
Book 4 of 4: The Texas Murder Files
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she’s deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover mission: The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it’s a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he’s immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla’s connections in the local community and Sean’s skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean’s carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.

Laura Griffin writes another heart pounding, suspenseful romance and I loved every minute of it. She is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read her newest story, Deep Tide. I was immediately immersed into the small town of Lost Beach and I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

Sean is an FBI special agent working on a case when he meets Leyla. She owns a cafe in town and is the little sister of a friend of Sean’s. Leyla is a no nonsense, take charge type of woman and she intrigues Sean. Even though Sean knows Leyla’s brother would not be happy to learn Sean is interested in his sister, Sean can’t seem to help his attraction to her.

This is a fast paced, intriguing story that held my interest and kept me up late at night, so I could find out what would happen next. I liked everything about this story, especially the two main characters, Sean and Leyla. They are believable and interesting and I was easily sucked into their life. While I enjoyed the suspense and mystery, I also enjoyed the romance slowly brewing between Sean and Leyla and all the chemistry flowing between them. I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out in the end, but I was hoping Sean and Leyla would find a way to be together, once they solved the mystery of the murdered young woman. I loved everything about this enthralling story and I’m sure you will too.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

In Darkness: The Shark by L. Diane Wolfe

May 9, 2023 By Leave a Comment


In Darkness: The Shark by L. Diane Wolfe
In Darkness series
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Focused on her studies and duties at the aquarium, Jewels prefers her solitary life. Burned many times and short on trust, she has more in common with her aquatic friends than the people around her. But she never imagined coming face to face with a shark named Clarence…a shark who talks!

As their friendship grows, Jewels must overcome her deep set mistrust. There are dangers, both in the Australian ocean and on dry land. Can Jewels depend on the great white or will his animal nature betray her?

This was a surprising read. I didn’t know what to expect but having a shark for a friend certainly got my attention. The length might be a novella, but it packs a powerful punch when it comes to the storytelling.

I’ll be truthful, there was a moment during the net scene where I thought all my worst tropes and cliches were about to come true and I was stressed and sad. The story was so different and interesting, cute and fun and I really didn’t want it to go in that direction. Well, it sort of did yet didn’t. It followed the science to some degree, and yes, human nature did get in the way as I knew it would. However, compassionate minds prevailed, and the sought-for solution was achieved, yet the consequences couldn’t be prevented. All that to say, my emotions were engaged, I cared and totally was into the groove of the whole story in all its ups and downs.

Now, here is the weird part. It really is a romance story but it’s highly unconventional. It’s sweet and endearing and, I realized when I was almost done with the book, that love really was growing between Clarence and Jewels. It happened through trust and communication. When those two things are all you have, it builds a foundation not distracted by physical attraction, social conventions and shallow presentation. It’s pure and honest. And that’s what the crux of the plot conflict was. Jewels has been hurt so much in her young life that she doesn’t trust anyone – anyone human that is. Clarence has to earn her trust. I mean, he IS a great white shark, and we all know about the movie JAWS and how that story affected people across the world – fear and terror. Now do you see why I found the premise of this book so incredibly fascinating? Add in that it’s a romance and my curiosity got the better of me. I had to find out how this would work. Enter the paranormal aspect. It arrives in a gentle manner. There’s no explanation of how things came to be, they just are. It’s up to a reader to decide what power might have been responsible for it but the end result is just beautiful. It’s happy and it made me happy.

The Shark is unusual fun, a unique adventure of friendship, and proof that love can grow when you have the basics – trust, communication, the ability to learn and have fun, and the willingness to go out on a limb for the one you love. I definitely recommend this story.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

My Daughter’s Boyfriends by Penny Jackson

May 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment


My Daughter’s Boyfriends by Penny Jackson
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

My Daughter’s Boyfriends is a short story collection from the Pushcart Prize–winning writer Penny Jackson. Her female narrators explore the loss of love and innocence, as well as the strength to overcome adversity and the need for redemption. The setting of these stories ranges from a hotel in Jamaica to New York City during the terror reign of Son of Sam to a summer camp for teenage girls in New Hampshire. Original, entertaining, thought-provoking, My Daughter’s Boyfriends will prove to be of special appeal to readers with an interest in coming-of-age stories about women.

These are the parts of womanhood that most women don’t discuss out loud.

The main character in ‘The First Brassiere” was irritated by the prospect of needing to wear a bra for the first time. Growing up isn’t always easy, and I liked the way she described what she wanted out of life instead and why she was so hesitant to start acting like a proper young lady. Ms. Jackson captured that stage of development perfectly and with the perfect amount of humor.

As soon as “The Elephant in the Bush” mentioned that Ida had Alzheimer’s disease and her former daughter-in-law was looking after her, I was interested in hearing more. I’d been a little suspicious this might be the case as soon as she was introduced, and I wanted to see what the plot did with characters like these. The relationship between them was warm, loving, and slightly unusual given that Susan had been divorced from Ida’s son for many years. This was something shared very early on in their conversation, and it only deepened my curiosity about how their family worked and what else I could learn about them.

Rose had a complicated and sometimes painful relationship with her father in “Green Love.” I was intrigued by how little she knew about what he did for a living and how uninterested she was in learning more. This was a memorable snapshot of a dysfunctional family that loved each other but struggled to express emotions like love for reasons that I will leave up to other readers to discover for themselves.

My Daughter’s Boyfriends made me yearn for more. What a poignant and gorgeous collection.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

BaIT by D. I. Jolly

April 28, 2023 By 1 Comment


BaIT by D. I. Jolly
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Amber thought her life was perfect.

She was in love with her boyfriend Frankie, had a nice summer job at Taylor’s Book and was enrolled at Marshall University to become a teacher.

Everything was on track for the perfect life.

And then Bastian walked in. Not only was he the most handsome man Amber had ever seen, but she felt a pull that she’d never felt before.

From the very first moment she saw him he filled her every thought and made her body want things it had never had before.

Amber is happily in love with Frankie. Then Bastian walks into her coffee shop. Bastian has a secret—he’s a werewolf. Frankie is a good guy, but Amber is torn. She loves Frankie, but there’s something about Bastian, and she can’t pull away.

When Frankie gets suspicious, things take a bad turn. There are some real surprises along the way, making things hard to predict, yet this is a light page-turner with werewolves and vampires. Themes of family and friendship underlie the story. Another theme of consent adds strength to this paranormal tale.

One major situation after another presents itself. How will these characters resolve such issues? As they deal with some difficult things, we see their development.

This book has somber moments and ideas in it, but overall, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, being wrapped in casual conversations along the way with some humor. It’s an interesting story, at times silly, and at times thoughtful. For something fun to read, this might be a good one to consider.

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Volume 1: The Limo Driver: The Pothos Chronicles by Skye Turner

April 27, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Volume 1: The Limo Driver: The Pothos Chronicles by Skye Turner
Publisher: Self-Published (Skye Turner Books)
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

On what was supposed to be a dream night, Nora graduates from college but her life is falling apart.

The life she’s always envisioned is nothing like her reality.

Unwilling to tell her family what a sham her “accomplishments” are, she climbs into her present from her father, an elegant limo, for the night with a fake smile and a wave and indulges on the champagne intended to “celebrate” her big night.

At Nora’s drunken request, the limo driver takes her on a ride she’ll never forget. Sex abounds, fantasies are fulfilled, and her night takes a decidedly upwards turn as the limo driver becomes more than she ever imagined.

Hot, hot, hot.

I knew this would be a short story. That’s what I wanted. What I didn’t expect was there to be so much jam packed in this short story. It’s hot and that’s no understatement. The writing is good, and I had to finish the story. I wanted to know what would happen next.

I realize this is a short story, so there isn’t much detail, but really, it wasn’t needed. There was just enough to get the point across and keep the story heated. I can say it did singe the page.

If you’re looking for a hot short story for a lunch break read, then this is the one for you.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,
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