The Book of Scandal by Julia London

Title: The Book of Scandal

Author: Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 360

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Second Chance

Spice Rating: 4

Nathan Grey, the Earl of Lindsey, is infamously known as the Libertine of Lindsey for his scandalous ways with women. But when he hears gossip that his estranged wife, Evelyn, is about to be named in The Book of Scandal, he has no choice but to remove her from London to protect her and himself from charges of treason -- even if it calls for abduction! While Evelyn has no legal recourse against the man who broke her heart years ago but is still considered her lord and master, she is no longer the immature girl Nathan married. Her enforced homecoming quickly turns into a battle of wills that tears down her husband's defenses and lays bare the passion that still burns between them. Before it is too late, Nathan must confront powerful adversaries as he convinces Evelyn that she is not only his wife, but the one woman he will love for all time.

Another absolute dud of a book for me. This has been sitting on my Unread Shelf for a few years. I finally dive and absolutely hate it. This is a second chance romance that I could have gotten behind if not for how the infidelity was handled. Now cheating is one of my deal breakers. The setup of why it was introduced in this story I understood. It was the reconciliation that I hated. Evelyn thinks about maybe cheating with a man and spends the rest of the book begging and pleading Nathan for forgiveness. Nathan actually has sex with multiple women and absolutely nothing. It’s just swept under the rug because apparently not having an emotional connection with those women makes it okay and you know “men have needs.” Nope nope nope. I am very much out of this series. Removing the other two from my unread shelf. Done.

The Scandalous Series

#1 The Book of Scandal
#2 Highland Scandal
#3 A Courtesan’s Scandal

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips

Title: The Egyptologist

Author: Arthur Phillips

Publisher: Random House 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 383

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Alphabet Soup - P; Historical Fiction

Just as Howard Carter unveils the tomb of Tutankhamun, making the most dazzling find in the history of archaeology, Oxford-educated Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush is digging himself into trouble, having staked his professional reputation and his fiancée’s fortune on a scrap of hieroglyphic pornography. Meanwhile, a relentless Australian detective sets off on the case of his career, spanning the globe in search of a murderer. And another murderer. And possibly another murderer. The confluence of these seemingly separate stories results in an explosive ending, at once inevitable and utterly unpredictable.

I picked up this book at a library sale a few years back and it’s been sitting on my shelves ever since. I was intrigued by the subject matter and the mystery. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the epistolary style or writing voice. I just couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. The mystery central to the plot was wrapped up too quickly leaving a lot of pages left. This was tough to get through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh

Title: More Than a Mistress (Dudley #1)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2000

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages:403

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Women Authors

She races onto the green, desperate to stop a duel. In the melée, Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, is shot. To his astonishment, Tresham finds himself hiring the servant as his nurse. Jane Ingleby is far too bold for her own good. Her blue eyes are the sort a man could drown in—were it not for her impudence. She questions his every move, breaches his secrets, touches his soul. When he offers to set her up in his London town house, love is the last thing on his mind.
Jane tries to pretend it’s strictly business, an arrangement she’s been forced to accept in order to conceal a dangerous secret. Surely there is nothing more perilous than being the lover of such a man. Yet as she gets past his devilish façade and sees the noble heart within, she knows the greatest jeopardy of all, a passion that drives her to risk everything on one perfect month with the improper gentleman who thinks that love is for fools.

Time to dive back into some fluffy romance. I picked up this book because I have all three books sitting in my TBR pile. I almost always read romance series books back-to-back. So on to the book itself. I was a bit turned off by the Duke at the beginning of the story, but he definitely grew on me. The best parts were the conversations between the Duke and Jane in the den. I loved those moments. The only thing I really didn't like was the ending. I hate super abrupt endings and this book has one of those. Oh well, I can ignore the last three pages. I enjoyed the rest of the book. On to the second in the series...

Mistress (Dudley)

#1 More Than a Mistress
#2 No Man's Mistress
#3 The Secret Mistress

The Lightkeeper's Bride by Colleen Coble

Title: The Lightkeeper's Bride (Mercy Falls #2)

Author: Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction; Christian; Romance

Pages: 284

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; Support Your Local Library; A to Z Titles: L

Katie Russell loves working as a telephone operator in Mercy Falls, California. But since childhood she has been expected to marry well. Her family presses for an engagement to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster and though he doesn't stir her heart, their engagement promises a secure financial future.
Working the phone lines one evening, Katie overhears a chilling exchange between her friend Eliza and a familiar male voice. Katie soon learns that Eliza has disappeared, and the crime may be linked to another investigation by handsome new lighthouse keeper, Will Jesperson. Katie and Will soon form an alliance. An alliance that slowly blossoms into something more.
Despite the danger surrounding her, Katie is powerfully drawn to Will. But she is not at liberty to marry for love. And though society forbids their growing affection, Katie can't help but notice Will's sense of peace. It's a peace that rests on his trust in God—a trust that Katie has never had to depend on, with her future so clearly mapped out before her.
But the more Katie uncovers of the mystery, the more she discovers about herself, her past, and the brilliant future that could be hers if only she has the courage to trust in God and follow where her heart so fearlessly leads.

The second book in Coble's Mercy Falls series reads just as well as the first. I find that I am really enjoying the mix of Christian romance and mystery/thriller. The second novel's heroine makes a brief appearance in the first novel as Addie's new friend. Katie Russell is a great character, full of stubbornness but a caretaker's heart. I really connected with this character. of course, the male interest is also intriguing. I could exactly picture Will Jesperson in my mind throughout the story. His quiet strength and determination are a perfect match for Katie.

Of course, Coble packs the novel with red herrings and obvious suspicions, leading the reading on a twisting and turning ride to the truth. The revelations of the villains didn't fail to satisfy and surprise. I enjoyed the ride. And I heard there's a third Mercy Falls novel coming out this year. I look forward to it!

Mercy Falls

The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble

Title: The Lightkeeper's Daughter (A Mercy Falls Novel)

Author: Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 2009

Genre: Historical Fiction; Christian; Romance

Pages: 306

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; A to Z Authors: C; Support Your Local Library

Addie Sullivan leads a quiet life in a northern California lighthouse. She mourns the death of her father and endures her mother's bitterness, until the night a storm brings an injured stranger and a dark secret to her home. The man insists she is not who she thinks she is, but rather "Julia Eaton"—the child long lost and feared dead by her wealthy family. Seizing the chance to be reunited with the Eatons, Addie leaves her lighthouse home but decides to keep her true identity a secret until they can unravel the mystery.
Addie loves the Eatons' palatial home tucked away among the California redwood forests. She feels secure with the jovial family, adores the young boy who is her charge as governess, and finds romance with his father John, a young widower. But sinister shadows overtake Addie's joy. As dusty rooms and secret compartments give up their clues about her past, Addie finds a faith and a love she could never have guessed. To embrace this new world of promise is to risk her life; but to run away is to risk losing the greatest love she's ever known.

I read a lot of Christian historical fiction. It's quick, easy, and guaranteed to have a good message. Unfortunately, a lot of the genre falls into a very formulaic structure. By the end, I often want to chew my arm off because of the predictability.

That being said, The Lightkeeper's Daughter was a refreshing change. Maybe it was because the characters weren't stereotypes of people. Maybe because the writing, specifically the dialogue, didn't seem forced and from an 8th grader. Maybe because the story had many twists and turns to which I didn't know who was the villain. Maybe because the story was saved from being overly sermonized (is that a word?, it is now); the Christian message was still there, but subtle.

Whatever the reason, I enjoyed the book immensely. I found out there was another book released in the Mercy Falls series. Of course, I ran to the library to get that one too. It's next on my reading list: The Lightkeeper's Bride. I give The Lightkeeper's Daughter 4 out of 5 stars. I definitely recommend to anyone loving mysteries with a bit of romance and without all the sex and violence of my other authors. Enjoy reading! And don't worry I won't give away the ending. You just have to find that out for yourselves.

Mercy Falls

Castles by Tracie Peterson

Another Christian historical romance down... but this one was a bit different. Since it was unusual, I thought I would share.

The Same

Same type of plot. Same type of characters. Four novellas connected through characters -- same set up for the novella collections.

The Different

The setting: Most of the Christian historical romance that I have been reading is set in the United States in the 1800s. They are usually set in a "wilderness," a newly explored/settled area such as Alaska or Montana. This one was set in Medieval times in England. There were many references to the politics of the time, i.e. the church versus kings versus high and low classes. I loved the little tidbits of information here and there about daily life in the castle. The change was refreshing.

The content: Usually the books are very heavy handed with the sermon-like content. Two characters get into a discussion about whatever, and it ends up that one character recites a sermon in the guise of a discussion. Sometimes these "discussions" get a little over the top. If they take up three pages, it's too much. This one was much lighter on the sermon front. The characters still talked about their faith and attempted to sway another character, but it was much lighter. The books focused more on the action and those of the characters. I enjoyed the change.

Overall I really like this book. I think my favorite novella was the first one -- Arianne. It felt the most "real." I hope I find more like this one. Now, to move on to more "literary" fare...

Christian Historical Romance

When you read the title, what are your thoughts? Somehow I have found myself reading many books that fall under this category (at least according to my local library). Why did I start reading these? I don't actually know. I'm thinking that I picked up a interestingly covered book that had some sort of historical era setting. And after reading more than 50 pages, realized what category the book fit into. And at that point, I wanted to find out the ending. And then I probably figured out that the book was part 1 of a trilogy or something of the like. And of course, I had to read the rest of the series. I am speculating because I really cannot remember how I fell into the genre, but now I'm really into it.

Some interesting notes about the genre:

Extremely formulaic plot: These books always focus on a single woman who ends up getting married (either the end of the book or the series). There is always a big obstacle (death, natural disaster, huge misunderstanding, trip) to overcome.
Characters: The main character is usually a late teen to early 20s single woman who has no real interest in marriage. Enter at least one potential husband. Usually there's two to choose from. If there are two suitors, one always turns out to be a cad in some way. Usually the woman has some supportive family members. Often there innocent children (previous child, orphans, etc.)
Content: The reader is guaranteed that there will be no cuss words (the worst I have noticed was a nonChristian who said Damn). There will be no sex scenes. Usually there are a few kisses. I did read a few books about reformed prostitutes that did allude to sex but talked about it in the way you talk about sex when children are present: vague and using euphemisms. Even when characters marry in the books there are only allusions to sex. I would be hard pressed to find one of these books that actually has "sex" in print. And of course there are many Bible verses and usually sermons. These are a given being a Christian historical romance, but sometimes these sermons can go on for over three pages. A little excessive sometimes.
Authors: There are many authors out there, but they often coauthor a series. Most of them have 20-30 books authored within three years of publishing. So I often run into the same names. Currently I am reading Tracie Peterson's and Lauraine Snelling's libraries.
Historical content: I am usually pleasantly surprised by the background historical content. The authors often do research of the area or the events of the time period featured. As a history teacher, I do appreciate this effort.

With all the issues I have with the genre, why exactly do I keep reading them? Well, simple answer -- they're easy. I don't have to think while reading them. Considering that I read very academic history books, technology and business books, and authors like Melville or Austen, these books are like a vacation. They're something I can read while waiting in the car line to pick my boys up from school. I can read them at the coffee-house while listening to others' conversations. I can read them while in the room with someone watching tv. I can read them before bed when I am tired, but not tired enough to actually fall asleep. They are easy and fairly entertaining. So guess what I got on my last trip to the library? Yup, that's right, more Christian historical romance.