The Smart and Capable Daughter

Expected Publication:  January 1st, 2013

The Tutor's Daughter

By: Julie Klassen

Bethany House

ISBN-13: 9780764210693

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.

When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?

Review

     Emma Smallwood is the only daughter of a newly widowed Father, whose academy for young boys whose parents wish them to learn away from home is floundering due to his disinterest.  Emma writes to the Father of two former students, an Earl with two young sons of an age to be tutored.  The Earl replies with an invitation for Emma and her Father to come live with the family for a year and educate the twins (spoiled, coddled teenagers who are smothered by their Mother).  They accept with some hesitation, but thinking that a change of scene will do them good.  But then strange things begin happening upon their arrival.  Mysterious music late at night, someone being in Emma's room while she's asleep and belongings going missing.  Plus, Emma is wrestling with her conflicting feelings for the eldest son, brooding Henry and the middle son, charming Phillip.  But are first impressions what they seem to be?  And will the secrets of the noble family be more deadly than a simple tutor's daughter could ever have imagined?  This was a decent book.  I felt like Emma was little too smug and 'perfect' for a good heroine, she was definitely no Austen character that's for sure.  But I liked her all the same, even though she was completely naieve and devoid of most common sense/forethought.  It was pretty obvious who the better brother was, for all Emma's stupidly made observations and Henry would have been an interesting character - of not for his creepy stealing of Emma's things as a teen and hidden obsession with her as an adult.  The odd relationship between Phillip and Lizzie Henshaw (who is hiding something very huge), Lady Weston's ward, is creepy and not very believable.  I did like the plot development, as there were a couple of mild surprises.  But for the most part it was entirely predictable.  And I should have checked publishers beforehand, because I didn't realize it was Christian fiction until it go extremely preachy in the last 20% or so of the book.  That REALLY annoyed me beyond belief.  Especially since the rest of the book was so devoid of serious religion on the part of any character.  Overall, only recommended to serious fans of Christian romance, who like a little bit of history and mild mystery thrown in the mix.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

* I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is January 1st, 2013.*

Stay In The Shadows

Published: June 26th, 2012
Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane # 4)
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN-13: 9781455508327

A Masked Man . . .

Winter Makepeace lives a double life. By day he's the stoic headmaster of a home for foundling children. But the night brings out a darker side of Winter. As the moon rises, so does the Ghost of St. Giles—protector, judge, fugitive. When the Ghost, beaten and wounded, is rescued by a beautiful aristocrat, Winter has no idea that his two worlds are about to collide.

A Dangerous Woman . . .

Lady Isabel Beckinhall enjoys nothing more than a challenge. Yet when she's asked to tutor the Home's dour manager in the ways of society— flirtation, double-entendres, and scandalous liaisons—Isabel can't help wondering why his eyes seem so familiar—and his lips so tempting.

A Passion Neither Could Deny

During the day Isabel and Winter engage in a battle of wills. At night their passions are revealed . . . But when little girls start disappearing from St. Giles, Winter must avenge them. For that he might have to sacrifice everything—the Home, Isabel . . . and his life.

Review

   Winter Makepeace runs an orphans home in the middle of St. Giles, a city no better than a slum, by day.  At night he is the masked harlequin avenger who protects the citizens from evil.  After freeing pirate Charming Mickey (newly his brother-in-law) from execution, he is chased by a mob and nearly killed...until Isabel Beckinhall takes him into her carriage.  Driving him to her home, she tends to a rather serious wound on his leg, admiring his naked body.  Of course she never makes the connection that he could be Winter, whom she thinks to be a dour, stern man that she butts heads with over the oprhan home that she is a patroness of.  A few days later, Isabel comes to the home to begin tutoring Winter in the ways of society, because the other patronesses are trying to have him replaced in his sister's absence.  Reluctantly he allows her to school him so he can stay with the orphans.  Meanwhile, Winter is trying to figure out who is snatching little girls off the streets of St. Giles and to what purpose.  Can he hide his true identity from Isabel, especially once the chemistry between them begins to explode.  Will she be able to trust him enough to give up her heart?  I was expecting more from a book that is supposed to be about Winter.  From the other three novels, I got the impression that he was far too much of a stuffed-shirt to get sexually involved with someone like Isabel.  Also he never struck me as the type to be the Ghost of St. Giles.  I honestly sympathized with Isabel's barrenness, but never really liked her much as a character.  I felt like she was smart, but too focused on the superficialities of life whereas Winter was almost the exact opposite.  The side-story with the kidnapped girls was too disconnected from the main plot for me.  They just didn't seem to mesh together all that well.  Seriously, Joseph Tinbox was my favorite part of the entire book.  But I'm unsure that I will like it when Hoyt decides it's his turn to have his character practically butchered.  Not my favorite in the series by any means.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published June 26th, 2012.*

Wishing I Had A Duke

Expected Publication: July 31st, 2012
When You Wish Upon a Duke (Wylder Sisters # 1)
By: Isabella Bradford
Ballantine Books
ISBN-13: 9780345527295

In a sparkling new series filled with irresistible charm and sizzling romance, award-winning author Isabella Bradford introduces us to the eldest of three Wylder sisters—unruly country girls whose passion for life leaves their London suitors breathless.

Raised in the Dorset countryside, Lady Charlotte Wylder doesn’t care one bit about well-bred decorum. The dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty would rather ride a horse than attend a stuffy ball. So when Charlotte learns that she is to leave immediately for London to wed the Duke of Marchbourne, a perfect model of aristocratic propriety, she is less than enchanted with her arranged marriage.

But to her delight, their first encounters are brazenly flirtatious, and their wedding night burns with passion. March’s broad shoulders and dark countenance make Charlotte want to rip every button off his waistcoast. She may even be falling in love with her new husband. Yet whenever their desire boils over, March reluctantly pushes Charlotte away. Will past secrets and present misunderstandings mire their marriage in scandal, or serve to strengthen a bond that is destined to last a lifetime?

Review

   Charlotte Wylder is a lady - in theory at least.  Since the death of her Father, an Earl, her Mother has raised she and her sisters in the countryside.  Charlotte has been the bane of her poor Mother's existence, with her improper behavior and passionate spirit.  Now that she's of age, an arranged marriage that her Father put into place just after her birth comes to light.  The Duke of Marchbourne, known as March to his friends, has known of the union his entire life.  The purpose is to improve the name of his family, due to an extremely scandolous past.  Curious about the woman who is to be his wife, March arranges to meet her along the road to London without forewarning her.  The result is that he comes upon her climbing a tree to save her younger sister's rather naughty kitten.  He climbs the tree to 'save' her and though he ends the encounter with injuries, they are both highly attracted to one another.  After the wedding their passion in the bedroom is undeniable, but March pulls away after every encounter.  Can Charlotte figure out why before her heart is broken?  This book was a very breezy, easy-going romance.  It is not like others of its genre with a secondary storyline, a murder mystery or some such other complication.  The only real complication between Charlotte and March is both of their resistance to the passion they feel for each other.  While the seemingly endless tug-of-war became annoying closer to the end of the novel and it eliminated a lot of possible action from the plot, it was still quite a cute story.  Considering the lack of action, there really were no secondary characters in this novel.  While it worked for the first book in the series, if it becomes a habit I don't believe that any charm will be able to sustain in such dry circumstances for long.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is July 31st, 2012.*

The Magical, Mystery Chocolate Pot

Published: May 22nd, 2012 (as eBook, originally published April 15th, 1988)
Sorcery & Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Cecelia and Kate #1)
By: Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Open Road for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9781453254677

A great deal is happening in London and the country this season. For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying on Cecelia. (Though he's not doing a very good job of it--so just what are his intentions?) And then there's Oliver. Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is. Clearly, magic is a deadly and dangerous business. And the girls might be in fear for their lives . . . if only they weren't having so much fun!

Review

   The year is 1817 in an England where magic is a natural part of life.  Kate and Cecelia are cousins that have trouble staying out of mischief when they are together.  That's why their Aunts decide to separate them for the summer - Kate will go to London for her Season with her younger sister Georgina and Cecelia will stay in the country with her brother Oliver.  It turns out that Kate doesn't need Cecelia around to get into trouble and this becomes apparent when she gets in the middle of a feud between an undetermined assasin and the Marquis of Schofield.  On the other hand, Cecy's summer in the country has become just as strange when she discovers neighbor James Tarleton spying on her very shy (and strangely popular) friend Dorothea.  Neither man will explain things to Kate or Cecy, so they decide to investigate the increasingly odd goings-on for themselves.  Meanwhile, they are corresponding everything to one another with surprising dedication and wit.  Someone has set a rather horrible plan into motion that may involve harm to the Queen herself - but it won't happen if Kate and Cecy have anything to say about it.  And what does an enchanted chocolate pot have to do with anything?  This book started off a little bit slowly, but once it got going it was so much fun!  I loved the intrigue surrounding (of all the ridiculous objects) the choclate pot, the strange enchantment of Dorothea and the plots swirling around the whole affair.  The idea of proper and boorish Oliver being turned into a tree was absolutely hilarious, as were most of the things that happend in the country setting.  The London issues were a slight bit more of the alarming sort.  I adored the letters between Cecy and Kate.  You could tell how fond of each other they were and how much they trusted each other. I thought the romances were well-done, if obvious.  My favorite was not Kate and the Marquis (Thomas) though it was wonderful.  I loved Cecy and Thomas because of how truly nonsensically they started out and by the end of things, I couldn't imagine them without each other.  At times things did seem disjointed, considering this book began as a letter game between the authors, with no real direction.  But other than that I loved the plot, characters, and the conclusion fit very well for me.  I loved this book quite a bit and would highly recommend it.  If the fact that it's part of a series is off-putting, be glad to know that this book can stand on its own.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published as an eBook on May 22nd, 2012.*