STACKED

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A Trio of Adult Romance Reviews

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Here at STACKED, we mostly stick to YA. But as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I enjoy reading adult romances, though I hadn’t done so in quite some time. After finding all of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books for sale at my local library, I impulse-bought them (not hard to do when they’re only 25 cents each) and then spent the next several days reading almost every single one.

Then, naturally, I did some reading online and picked up a few other romances by authors I hadn’t read before (all historical Regency-era). Reading these books has broken me out of a reading rut like magic; the three below are some of those I’ve enjoyed most.

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
You guys. This book. This may be the perfect romance novel. It features Francesca Bridgerton, the sixth Bridgerton sibling, and she’s actually already married at the beginning of the book. Her husband is John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin, and they love each other very much. And then he dies, after a mere two years of marriage. John’s cousin, Michael, is now the Earl, and he’s wracked with all sorts of uncomfortable emotions. He’s loved Francesca all along, you see, but he also loved his cousin, whom he regarded as more of a brother.

You know what’s going to eventually happen, but seeing the two leads work their way through their grief for a man they both loved very much is gratifying and incredibly moving. Francesca’s attraction and eventual love for Michael develops gradually and believably. I loved reading a book where the hero loved the heroine from afar for years, rather than the opposite, which seems to happen much more frequently. All of Julia Quinn’s trademarks are here: funny repartee between the two leads, crackling wit from ancillary characters, families who love and support each other and embrace their differences.

Personal copy

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
I don’t think there’s any author I like as much as Julia Quinn when it comes to romances, but Sarah MacLean is a good alternative. Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is 28 and has given up on finding a husband. Her younger sister (by 10 years) has just become engaged, and while listening in on her sister’s conversation with her new fiance, Callie learns that she’s perceived as passive by most of society. She’s always made sure to keep her reputation spotless, but now that she’s sure she won’t ever marry, she doesn’t see much point. So she makes herself a list. Nine things – nine non-passive things – she’ll do to have a little fun and start living, the way she’s been afraid to for a decade. Things like smoking a cheroot, and gambling at a men’s club, and drinking whiskey at a bar. And, of course, being kissed. That tops her list, and she knows just who she wants to help her cross that particular item off.

Gabriel St. John is the Marquess of Ralston, and Callie has loved him afar for ten years, ever since her first season when he spoke to her briefly and made her feel better about her horrid dress, which made her look ridiculous. He had forgotten the conversation long ago, but Callie never did. And when Callie shows up at his home, daring to make him the person who bestows upon her that first kiss…well, you know where this is heading.

Honestly, I was hoping that Callie would be a bit more proactive when it came to her list. She resolves to do something rather extraordinary, and then when it comes down to it, she holds back. It’s understandable, but I wanted to see her fully commit to at least one item without prodding from Ralston. Ralston remains a bit of an enigma throughout the book, as well, and there’s a bit at the end (that’s a bit of spoiler) that was quite off-putting and dropped this to a 3-star read for me (plus some questionable remarks about Ralston’s absent, now-deceased, mother). All that aside, this was a thoroughly engaging story with an interesting subplot featuring Ralston’s half-sister. I liked seeing Callie come into her own, and her pursuit of the items on her list created wonderful comedic moments.

Borrowed from the library

What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
Lisette Bonnaud is the illegitimate daughter of a viscount and his French mistress. When her father died without ever marrying her mother, her half-brother, the legitimate son, cut her and her brother Tristan off completely. Luckily for Lisette and Tristan, their other half-brother, the younger legitimate son named Dom, took them in so they could survive, to his detriment; as a result, his older brother cut him off too. They make money to survive by running a private investigation agency, and Lisette longs to take a more active role in it.

Maximilian Cale is the Duke of Lyons, and he inherited the title after his older brother Peter was kidnapped and eventually declared dead. But then he receives a note from Tristan Bonnaud, claiming he has proof that Peter is still alive. Tristan misses the arranged meeting with Max, and Max is so put out by it that he tracks down the Bonnaud residence in England, where he meets Lisette. Long story short, they team up as a faux married couple and travel to France to investigate Tristan’s disappearance. Lisette hopes to prove to Max that Tristan is not a con man, and Max hopes to figure out what happened to Peter once and for all – or make Tristan pay for the lie.

I rather like romances that include a mystery, and this is a fun one. It gets a bit convoluted at the end, but it’s never uninteresting. What’s really important is the chemistry between the two leads, which is great. I love good repartee, and they have it. Lisette is the most assertive of the three heroines I discuss in this post. She has almost no qualms about haring off to France with Max in tow, and her actions are motivated by love of family. She knows what she wants and she knows she’s smart enough to get it. Max is…not my favorite hero. Alas. Nothing beats a Bridgerton book.

Review copy received from publisher

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour

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So I’ve read a lot of books so far this year. I’ve read 16 debut titles. I’ve listened to 10 or so audiobooks. But you know, very little this year has really made me want to drop everything and read straight on through. To be fair, I’m not generally someone who gets that way. I like to read with breaks to absorb and think.

But, I may have found a book that for the first time in a long time made me want to do nothing more than sit outside in the backyard and read. Yes, I ADORED Morgan Matson’s debut Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, due out tomorrow by Simon & Schuster.

Amy’s mother and her father were professors at a local southern California college until a terrible accident took the life of her father. Because of the memories and because of a brother who is decaying slowly mentally, mom chooses to uproot her and Amy and have a new start in Connecticut.

Because of the need to sell the house, mom heads out first and leaves Amy to make the trip out to Connecticut with her mom’s car later. And no worries – mom’s best friend’s son, Roger (who had been a friend of Amy’s when they were young, though she doesn’t seem to recall the diaper days) will accompany her. Oh, and Amy’s mom’s already set up an itinerary, complete with hotel reservations. It’ll be a quick 4-day trip. Roger’s got to get to see his dad in Philadelphia, anyway, so it all works out well.

That is, until Amy sees that Roger’s a much more interesting (ahem, attractive) boy than she previously imagined. And Roger wants more of an adventure. It takes little convincing to get Amy to drop her mother’s plans and take her own cross country trip with Roger.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was all I love in a romance: great character development, with strong enough ancillary characters to make the destinations and backstories interesting. The road facts sprinkled throughout the story made my traveling heart thump like crazy (when they are driving on Highway 50 through Nevada, before Roger talks about the road’s reputation, I had myself thinking isn’t that the most deserted highway in the country and badabing, he brought it up!). On their travels, they meet some interesting people who are never developed too much to make them clutter the story line, and throughout, it’s so clear that the story is less about the road trip and more about the power we all have as individuals to plot our own destiny.

Of course, there are consequences for those decisions. Amy’s mother is NOT happy with the way her daughter decided to ignore the plans, but Amy’s musings about the value of determining her own happiness was so spot on. Both Amy and Roger are believable in their ages, as she is about 17 and he is 18 or 19. They both exude such passion for life and for living. And like all people that age, their philosophical musings are spot on.

Matson writes young. By that I mean this story has SUCH appeal to a teen audience — it never once talks down to them nor never tries to push a higher point too much (even though it is so there). Some other books I’ve read this year have tried too hard to tug at the teen heartstrings, but this one just gets it. It never once feels forced.

Now, don’t believe this is an easy road trip book. I’ve left out a key ingredient to the story, and that’s the cause of Amy’s father’s death and the real reason Roger is accompanying her on the trip. It is very obvious the entire time what happened, but because it is so ingrained in Amy’s personality, it’s an important element. Again, not overdone and painted quite realistically.

Hand Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour to your Sarah Dessen fans. Hand it to your fans of road trip books. What this book really, really reminded me of, though, was the last 20 minutes of Elizabethtown. Do with that what you will.

An element I didn’t mention this book contains and sets it apart is what I’ll call “elements from the road.” This book is like a scrapbook, filled with postcards, receipts, itineraries, maps, and more. These not only break up the text (which is incredibly fast paced) but it gives a real face to Amy and Roger. Since my review is from the unfinished galley, I couldn’t get the full effect but instead saw the designer’s notes. The notes lead me to believe that this will be a really strong and memorable element to the novel itself.

I would, without a doubt, have read 500 more pages of this story. I think Matson does her readers a huge service in ending where she does, though. I don’t want to spoil it, but some of the hints I got lead me to believe that there would be an ending I would be dissatisfied with. Kudos.

I’m not usually one for posting videos, but this one gives a little more insight into the writing process from the author. As I watched it, I was reminded a lot of who I pictured Amy as, and I think Matson may be pulling a lot from her own life and experiences. This is a good thing. You can also get a sneak peak at some of the road ephemera that appears in the book:

Get this in the hands of your summer readers. Without doubt, it’ll become a favorite.

* Review copy from publisher at PLA.

Getting sidetracked

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The title of this post was originally “In defense of romances.” I am an unashamed lover of historical romances, and I planned on using this space to delve into the many wonderful things about them. So there I was, merrily surfing the web for the bits and pieces that would serve as my defense for the genre I love, when I got sidetracked. By this:

It’s the book trailer for Julia Quinn’s newest, What Happens in London, due out on June 30. I confess, I winced while watching it. Many words sprang to mind: cheesy, painful, embarrassing, funny. Where to start? The atrocious accent, the sepia-tone colors, the overly dramatic acting… I’ll still read the book anyway, since I know and love Julia Quinn’s writing (one of the few romance authors to garner a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly), but this trailer wouldn’t be the first thing I’d show to someone I was trying to convert to romance-reading. I can find it in my heart to love the trailer, much in the same way I love The Crawling Eye, but I can’t honestly say it’s any good.

I have a love-hate relationship with book trailers. Some of them are so well-done, even with minimal production resources, they make me want to run out and read the book immediately. Others…well, others make me want to say defensively, “Not all books are as lame as this trailer makes that one look!” Most books are decidedly un-lame, but you wouldn’t know it judging by a lot of the trailers floating around on Youtube these days.

I think book trailers have a goal in common with this blog: to “entice non-readers to think about reading in fun and interesting ways.” However, the quality of book trailers is so hit and miss that I wonder if they’re any good at it. I get excited about many of the trailers, but I also get excited just by seeing the cover of a much-anticipated new book. (My reaction upon seeing Shannon Hale’s newest book being given away at a conference: jumping up and down, literally.) Have people who aren’t avid readers been hooked by a trailer, or has it merely made them giggle? Am I totally wrong about the trailer above, thinking it’s terrible when it’s actually completely awesome? Do I just need to learn how to have fun and stop expecting book trailers to rock my world like movie trailers sometimes do?

A post in defense of romances (particularly my favorite, historical romances) is coming soon…