Aloha to Grace Burrowes and THE CAPTIVE - Guest Review

Grace Burrowes kicks off a new series, Captive Hearts, with THE CAPTIVE:

He'll never be free...

Captured and tortured by the French, Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, survives by vowing to take revenge on his tormentors. Before the duke can pursue his version of justice, Gillian, Countess of Greendale, reminds him that his small daughter has suffered much in his absence, and needs her papa desperately.

Until he surrenders his heart...

Gilly endured her difficult marriage by avoiding confrontation and keeping peace at any cost. Christian's devotion to his daughter and his kindness toward Gilly give her hope that she could enjoy a future with him, for surely he of all men shares her loathing for violence in any form. Little does Gilly know, the battle for Christian's heart is only beginning.

The Captive by Grace Burrowes

Review by LSUReader

I can always count on Grace Burrowes to deliver a beautifully written book with compelling characters. In The Captive, she adds a lovely, evocative story of lost souls finding their way.

When Christian Severn left a wife and two children to join the English cavalry fighting Napoleon, he was a large, arrogant, self-possessed man--the powerful and successful Duke of Mercia. He returns broken-- an emaciated widower, a victim of French capture and torture. His body, mind, family and estate all need attention. But what drives him is the idea of vengeance against his captors.

Christian's young daughter Lucy has withdrawn in grief at losing her brother and mother to death and her father to the war. She doesn't speak. She barely eats. She fears life. Lucy chooses seclusion in her schoolroom.

Their savior is Severn's cousin by marriage Gillian, Lady Greendale. When the duke was at war, Gilly frequently visited her cousin Helene, Christian's duchess. Now, she continues to spend a lot of time with Lucy. As the book opens, she travels to London to coax Christian home, for Lucy. He agrees to go, but only if she will help with his transition.

So Gillian becomes the post they all lean on. She is devoted to Lucy. She functions as hostess at the ducal estate. She helps Christian regain his appetite and strength. She shields him from the overly inquisitive and helps him return to the normalcy of daily life. Most importantly, Gillian teaches Christian to trust again.

She is so used to seeing to the needs of others, Gillian doesn't admit that she herself is a captive, to the memories of an abusive marriage and the legal problems it left her. When she gradually allows Christian to help her, they both begin to heal. It is a lovely process.

The Captive features one of my favorite characters from the Burrowes' Windham series, oldest son Devlin St. Just. He is here first as a soldier, and later as a visitor to Christian. He becomes a valued friend to both the duke and countess. (His HEA is in 2011's The Soldier.)

I do have a couple of minor issues with The Captive. First, I wish Burrowes would include a specific timeframe in her books. My brain twists trying to figure out how previous books interact with the current one. The second objection is the cover, which features a lovely, healthy couple. Perhaps depicting a thinner, scarred and maimed Christian would have been a no-no. But it would have been accurate. I find the glossed-over treatment a tad insulting to my intelligence as a reader of historical romance. Each time I picked up the book, I thought, "That's not Christian."

Those personal complaints didn't diminish my overall appreciation of The Captive. I really enjoyed this book and rate it a 4.5. I am looking forward to reading the others in the Captive Hearts trilogy--The Traitor (Aug.) and The Laird (Sept.)

Mahalo, LSU, for your review!  I am giving away a book choice from convention stash, including several other titles from Grace Burrowes, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about historical romances - why do you love 'em?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 12, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 13.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore 

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Guest Review: THE MACGREGOR'S LADY by Grace Burrowes

The MacGregor's Lady by Grace Burrowes

by LSUReader

Scottish nobleman Asher MacGregor and American heiress Hannah Cooper make an oddly interesting couple in The MacGregor's Lady, the third novel in the MacGregor Series by Grace Burrowes.

Asher, recently returned from Canada, is learning his role as the Earl of Balfour. Technically, he has been the earl for some time; but after a long absence, he was assumed dead. His brother Ian (hero of 2012's The Bridegroom Wore Plaid) has been the acting earl. Now that he is back to his family seat and his social duties, Asher agrees to escort Bostonian Hannah Cooper and her aunt through the London season. Additionally, Asher acknowledges he should begin his search for a bride.

Hannah's greedy American step-father expects her to make a good match in England--hopefully one that will allow him to continue to control Hannah's considerable finances. Hannah has other ideas. She is convinced she must return to Boston as soon as she can to protect her grandmother, mother and brothers from her shady step-father. In London, Hannah is just going through the motions. A limp makes her feel physically awkward. Hannah's strong desire to remain single makes her emotionally aloof.

You feel for these characters. They are painfully self-contained. Overwhelmingly, Asher and Hannah want to do the right thing for their families. They deny themselves for what they believe is the greater good. They are selfless and utterly loyal to the people they care about. If ever a hero and heroine deserved an HEA, it's these two. Asher and Hannah do gradually overcome the barriers they've erected, with some help from Asher's considerable Scottish family.

I generally love Grace's books; this one, not as much. The novel features Grace's typical likeable but troubled characters. Her writing voice is lovely, as always. But gaps in this story kept me wondering if I'd missed an earlier read. (I haven't.) I read the earlier two novels and novella in this series, and I was looking forward to fully understanding Asher's story: When and why did he leave and return? How did the MacGregor siblings (three brothers and a sister) accept his return? How have the MacGregor relationships fared with his reappearance? Though each of these is slightly touched upon, I'm left wondering about the full answers to those questions. There also is a peculiar side story about a couple of characters trying to see Asher put into a compromising position and forced to marry Hannah. It seems to be unnecessary to the flow and spirit of the novel.

I do recommend The MacGregor's Lady, with a rating of three out of five stars. It is a good, solid romance story. I just think it could have been more. Actually, most Grace Burrowes books are. 

View of the city of Boston from Dorchester heights
Painted & engraved by Robt. Havell
Library of Congress - Public Domain (link)

Mahalo, LSU, for sharing your thoughts on THE MACGREGOR'S LADY.   It will be available February 4, 2014, from Sourcebooks Casablanca (link).  Check out Grace's website (link) to read an excerpt with links to order.

In honor of Asher and Hannah, I am giving away a special Anglo-American prize package to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Boston - what do you know about it? My first assignment in the Air Force took me to Hanscom AFB in Boston's suburbs.  I loved it for the history, for the lobsters, and for the Scorpion Bowls (drink for two) at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square (link).

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 1, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Books 1 and 2 in the series ...

Guest Review - ML Buchman's TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT

Back in Hawaii, I lived next to two Army helicopter pilots (the husband was an extra in BATTLESHIP - he is a crowd filler in the last scene at Punchbowl).  Back to helicopters, my friend Nadja is an Army spouse and loves ML Buchman's series, The Night Stalkers.  I asked her to review ML's latest release in the series, TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT... 

Gotta love women pilots!
WASPS from WWII
Public Domain (link)

ML Buchman’s TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT, the fourth book in his Night Stalkers series, once again features “women pilots who fly for the immensely secretive, real-life U.S. Army SOAR” and revisits the sunbaked, forward SOAR operations in Pakistan. I had a great time checking in on previous characters and getting to know the new team member, Chief Warrant Lola LaRue.

I love Buchman’s warrior women. He has an undeniable way with them; they’re tough, capable, oh so deadly, and yet completely female (not feminine so much). His men are often exasperated by their chosen mates, a very endearing trait that robs none of them of their masculinity.

Chief Warrant Lola LaRue and Sergeant Tim Maloney are no exception. She bloodies his nose; he’s head over heels even before the blood dries.

Lola feeling overwhelmed and intimidated when faced with the close-knit group that are the Night Stalkers makes sense, but her reluctance to believe in herself felt a tad bit off at times. Nevertheless, Tim knows a good woman when he sees her and is smart enough to give her the space she needs even while he pursues her with 100% “Night Stalkers Never Quit” commitment.

This may be a military romance set in the world of a forward deployed group of elite fighters, but Lola and Tim still find time and opportunity for romance (the roof?). I loved all the technical, military details that dealt with SOAR, the helicopters and Tim’s job as a gunner, but overall TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT felt less heavy on the technical aspects of combat than the previous books, which is in no way a negative.

If you enjoyed the other books in this series, you’ll love book four. If you’re hesitant to jump into a new series, don’t worry about needing to know previous events; TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT can be thoroughly enjoyed as a stand-alone.

Nadja soars near the Laie Arch 

Mahalo, Nadja, for your review!  I am thinking of you in warm Hawaii as it snows here in Maryland.   I am giving away Hawaiian souvenirs to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What draws you to military romances?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 14, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 15.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about ML Buchman and his books, check out his website at mlbuchman.com.

I also hosted ML last week - check out his guest post at this link.