A Dangerous Engagement

With her small dowry, Felicity Mayson begins to despair of ever making a good match.  When her aunt, Lady Blackstone, sends her an invitation to a house party and introduces her to the charming and affluent Oliver Ratley, Felicity begins to believe she may have finally found a man who does not mind her lack of fortune.  She accepts Ratley's abrupt proposal only to discover the alarming purpose of the house party and its guests.  Rather than a country getaway, Lady Blackstone has convened a meeting of a radical group of men and women bent on a violent overthrow of the British government.

Government agent Phillip McDowell has infiltrated the group, and soon discovers Felicity's dangerous position.  In order to gather necessary evidence against the group, Phillip convinces Felicity to continue her engagement with Ratley.  Will they each be capable of playing this dangerous game without any of the guests discovering their true intentions?  Will Felicity be forced into a hasty marriage to a terrifying revolutionary?  Will the respect and admiration Phillip and Felicity develop for one another ever have a chance to grow amid such intrigue?

Melanie Dickerson takes readers of a thrilling adventure in A Dangerous Engagement.  This was my first experience with Dickerson's Regency Spies of London series, and I found that the strengths and weaknesses in her various medieval series have followed her to this one.  Her historical descriptions and overall storytelling is, once again, excellent.  Character development?  Still flawed.  As always, I admire her male characters, and continually wonder what they see in the female love interest.  While Felicity manages to be function as a spy in a dangerous situation, she still makes stupid decisions (that of course require her to be rescued) and often faints.  Why can't one of Dickerson's female leads be strong and independent for once?  My inner feminist wants more to cheer for.  Overall, though, Dickerson's latest is a fun, entertaining story with a satisfying conclusion.

 I received a free copy from the publisher.  No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!

No review this week (I'm working on some, I promise...) but here's a look at our family's first trip out to Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta! 

Lies Jane Austen Told Me

Having "broken up" with Jane Austen in college, Emma Pierce does her best to live an a practical, grounded way-- always surpassing her inner romantic.  When her long-time boyfriend, Blake Hampton, invites her to his family home for a weekend, Emma lets her friends convince her that Blake intends to propose.  When Emma finds Blake dining with another woman, though, her romantic dreams come crashing down once again.  Determined to focus on her fast-paced job as the CMO of a growing gym franchise, Emma finds it difficult to forget Blake when her boss hires Blake's brother, Lucas.  Though a deep friendship develops and sparks fly between Emma and Lucas, Emma can't understand why Lucas continually tries to convince her to give her relationship with Blake another chance.  Will Emma decide to follow her heart and embrace her inner Jane Austen, or will she continue to maintain that romance itself is a lie?

Julie Wright tells an entertaining contemporary love story in Lies Jane Austen Told Me.  While I appreciated the concept of the plot and enjoyed Lucas and Emma's love story, Wright's writing was a bit casual and scattered for my taste.  I grew tired of the almost schizophrenic ramblings of Emma's mind.  Additionally, the conclusion of the story itself was satisfying, but it took an unreasonable amount of time to get there.  Too many characters made too many mountains out of molehills to be really believable.  I genuinely liked the book, but never really lost myself in it.

 I received a free copy from the publisher.  No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.

The Regency Brides Collection

As an unabashed lover of all things Regency England, it shouldn't be surprising that I jumped all over the chance to review this wonderful little collection of seven novellas.  Michelle Griep and MaryLu Tyndall happen to be favorites of mine, so I was reasonably sure I'd love at least two of the included stories.  Luckily for me, I thoroughly enjoyed almost every single one!  Each takes a look at different aspects, regions, and peculiarities of a fascinating time in English history, while telling a host of lovely love stories.  I was least impressed with Susanne Dietze's Three Little Matchmakers, and Nancy Moser's When I Saw His Face, but Griep and Tyndal's additions did not disappoint, and I was particularly impressed with Amanda Barratt's First Comes Marriage.  I also may have re-read the end of Erica Vestch's Jamie Ever After an embarrassing number of times.  I'll certainly be adding Barratt and Vestch to my list of authors to watch.  Short and sweet, these seven stories kept me more than entertained on a rainy weekend a few weeks ago!

 I received a free copy from the publisher.  No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.