susan_findlay
Lethbridge Public Library
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susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 27, 2024
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 26, 2024
Comment:
Fun gender flip on the "guy decides to teach snobby girl who's been treating him like dirt a lesson when she gets amnesia so he tricks her into believing she's his housekeeper (or similar)" story told in books like Lorraine Heath's "Once More, My Darling Rogue".
Ms. Reid is careful to set things up in a way that mitigates the implausibility of the scenario and allows our heroine some justification for her choice to lie to the hero about who he is. There's respect for the question of whether consent is possible in a situation where one party believes the couple to be married while the other party knows they're not. In fact, I'd say the least plausible part of the whole story is actually our heroine's amazing ability to cook gourmet quality dishes with no practice whatsoever.
Looking forward to the next entry in the series.Fun gender flip on the "guy decides to teach snobby girl who's been treating him like dirt a lesson when she gets amnesia so he tricks her into believing she's his housekeeper (or similar)" story told in books like Lorraine Heath's "Once More, My…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 24, 2024
Comment:
Adorable cover. Liked both leads and the overall story. I did find that the third act break-up felt forced, and I'm pretty sure the scene that functioned as reunion could have been set up without actually requiring the break-up - which I think would have flowed more organically.Adorable cover. Liked both leads and the overall story. I did find that the third act break-up felt forced, and I'm pretty sure the scene that functioned as reunion could have been set up without actually requiring the break-up - which I think…
Mary Fran and MatthewMary Fran and Matthew, eBookA Novella
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2013eBook, 2013
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 24, 2024
Comment:
I only read this one because it was included in a three-novella book which I had checked out from the library for one of the other two novellas. It was remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development into a novella to make the reader genuinely care about the characters. Most novellas wind up feeling rather shallow because there just isn't enough space for depth. As such, I tend to only read novellas if I've already met and liked the characters in another book.
"Mary Fran and Matthew" filled in blanks in Ms. Burrowes' MacGregor series - which I have not ready anything from - so I was a bit worried that I would be hit with too many new characters to be able to follow it. But, no. It worked well. I liked both leads. Would have preferred to have spent a full-length novel with them, but the story worked within the page count.I only read this one because it was included in a three-novella book which I had checked out from the library for one of the other two novellas. It was remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 24, 2024
Comment:
Remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development into a novella to make the reader genuinely care about the characters. Most novellas wind up feeling rather shallow because there just isn't enough space for depth. As such, I tend to only read novellas if I've already met and liked the characters in another book - which is exactly what happened here.
Only upon starting "Morgan and Archer" did I realize that Morgan was Anna's deaf sister from "The Heir". Her story with detective Archer Portmaine (first introduced in "Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal" was simple and straightforward, giving us enough time to remember who these characters were and why we like them.
So, all in all, well done. Though I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone who is not already familiar with at least the Windhamverse.Remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development into a novella to make the reader genuinely care about the characters. Most novellas wind up feeling rather shallow because there just isn't enough space…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 24, 2024
Comment:
Remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development into a novella to make the reader genuinely care about the characters. Most novellas wind up feeling rather shallow because there just isn't enough space for depth. As such, I tend to only read novellas if I've already met and liked the characters in another book - which is exactly what happened here.
Jonathan was probably my favourite character in "Lady Eve's Indiscretion". As the hero's brother-in-law, he was originally introduced as an antagonist (keeping his young daughter away from her uncle and our main story's hero) but turns out to simply have her best interests at heart. And he was so clearly falling for his daughter's governess that I wished they would have gotten a full secondary romance in that book but, alas, it was not meant to be. The Windham universe was already 25+ books long so instead they get their own mini book. Which was well-crafted, tightly focused on a simple story without too many guest appearances taking away from Jonathan and Amy. I would have preferred to see them get a full novel, but neither has the right last name and the novella was as good as those get.
So, all in all, well done. Though I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone who is not already familiar with at least the Windhamverse.Remarkably well done considering how challenging it is to squeeze enough character development into a novella to make the reader genuinely care about the characters. Most novellas wind up feeling rather shallow because there just isn't enough space…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 23, 2024
Comment:
I have never understood why some authors think I want to read paragraphs about how rich a given character is or how much money they make. I. Don't. Care. It's why I tend to avoid books where the back-of-book blurb emphasizes one or other character's income.
Once we got past that and onto the actual story, I was pleasantly surprised. Stevie and Bishop start off strongly disliking each other for reasons that would be totally valid if they were actually true. They manage to address the crossed signals before I start feeling the need to rip my hair out and yell "just have a conversation already", though, and we move onto the meat of the story in which Bishop has been injured, and Stevie (a newly credentialled physiotherapist) volunteers to help with his recovery. Which forces them to spend a lot of time in very close proximity but professionalism means they cannot get romantically involved while he's her sort-of-client. There are a couple of side plots involving family members and teammates - most notably Rook (Stevie's brother and Bishop's teammate) with whom Bishop does NOT get along and who does NOT approve of Stevie having anything to do with Bishop.
So, we have a good mix of banter, family drama and slow burn attraction. All in all, good fun.I have never understood why some authors think I want to read paragraphs about how rich a given character is or how much money they make. I. Don't. Care. It's why I tend to avoid books where the back-of-book blurb emphasizes one or other…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 22, 2024
Comment:
I used to love western historical romance when I was a teenager, but you don't see many of them any more. Amy Sandas was a new-to-me author, and I really enjoyed this one. Hero discovers that heroine has a lot more skills than his first impression would have suggested as they travel cross country evading bad guys.I used to love western historical romance when I was a teenager, but you don't see many of them any more. Amy Sandas was a new-to-me author, and I really enjoyed this one. Hero discovers that heroine has a lot more skills than his first impression…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 21, 2024
Comment:
3 to 3.5 stars
The premise was fun, and I enjoyed much of the banter in the middle portion of the book. I could certainly relate to Olivia's general clutziness - though some of her stories were even more extreme than anything I've managed to do to myself. I did find the book a bit formulaic at points; in particular, the secret was dragged out far too long and the end felt like a string of grand gestures rather than an organic resolution.3 to 3.5 stars
The premise was fun, and I enjoyed much of the banter in the middle portion of the book. I could certainly relate to Olivia's general clutziness - though some of her stories were even more extreme than anything I've managed to do…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 21, 2024
Comment:
In some ways, this is a prequel to "The Heir" (despite, I think, being written/published after it). I remember when reading "The Heir" thinking that Gwen and Douglas' story sounded interesting enough that they really ought to have their own book. I was right; they very much merited one, and it was a good read. I am burning out a little on Ms. Burrowes' fondness for having heroines willing to sleep with the hero but not marry him. In this case, though, the reason was rather more valid than most, and I loved how caring and supportive Gwen and Douglas were. Definitely a book about grown ups for grown ups.
While there are references to many other characters in the Windham-verse, the story is focused strongly enough on Douglas and Gwen that I'm pretty sure it would be fine to read as a standalone - and potentially one of the gentler introductions to this series (which can be overwhelming if you enter at the wrong point).In some ways, this is a prequel to "The Heir" (despite, I think, being written/published after it). I remember when reading "The Heir" thinking that Gwen and Douglas' story sounded interesting enough that they really ought to have their own book. …
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 18, 2024
Comment:
I'm not sure whether this series was written before or after the main Windham series. It was published after those books but features stories that take place in the same world several years prior. As such, I'm starting with the books featuring secondary characters I already know and like. Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me in the butt as it means I'm voluntarily reading out of order. :-)
The back of the book is a bit misleading. Sure, Letty won't be David's mistress - but their relationship quickly progresses to an affair; she just doesn't want to be paid for sleeping with him. The real conflict is that she won't marry him. Not because she doesn't love him or he doesn't love her but because she has a secret in her past so she worries that marrying her would ruin him in society's eyes. But she won't tell him what that secret is, so it's one of those "could you please just have a conversation already?" books.
As noted in the first paragraph, I was predisposed to liking David, and I also appreciated the secondary plot in which he slowly finds himself having to use his medical training and setting him up for a return to practicing medicine (which he had given up after a traumatic event in his past - but that one's not a deep dark secret). He doesn't actually get as far as becoming a full-time doctor in this book, but that's how we met him in the Windham series so we know he gets there. And he and Letty really are a perfect match personality-wise.I'm not sure whether this series was written before or after the main Windham series. It was published after those books but features stories that take place in the same world several years prior. As such, I'm starting with the books featuring…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 14, 2024
Comment:
Can't say too much about this one without spoilers. Toward the beginning, it was reminding me of the movie Pretty Woman in that it seemed to be glamourizing potentially dangerous behaviour. And I kind of hated Cole. Until I didn't. I'd be interested to re-read at some point to see how differently it reads knowing everything from page one.Can't say too much about this one without spoilers. Toward the beginning, it was reminding me of the movie Pretty Woman in that it seemed to be glamourizing potentially dangerous behaviour. And I kind of hated Cole. Until I didn't. I'd be…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 12, 2024
Comment:
This was the first book I've read from Elsie Silver, and it looks like it's the first one she wrote too. Bonus points for a recognizably Canadian setting. So, I'll round the 3.5 stars up.
As you can tell from the back-of-book blurb, the book is written in that back-and-forth alternating first person perspectives style that seems to dominate chick lit these days. Which is not my favourite but I can deal with it if the story is interesting and the writing is otherwise good - both of which were the case here. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for a love story between a horse with trust issues and his lovely trainer. :-)This was the first book I've read from Elsie Silver, and it looks like it's the first one she wrote too. Bonus points for a recognizably Canadian setting. So, I'll round the 3.5 stars up.
As you can tell from the back-of-book blurb, the book is…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
I am fairly tolerant of not-entirely-accurate-to-the-period vocabulary as long as it doesn't detract from the story. But. NOBODY IN REGENCY ENGLAND EVER REFERRED TO A BAKED GOOD AS A COOKIE. EVER. NOBODY. Nobody in modern day England does that either; it's an Americanism. It's a biscuit not a cookie. You might slip it past me once. But keep mentioning it, and the born-and-bred Brit in me rebels hard.
In case you missed it, our heroine likes to bake. :-)
Apart from that, this book was just wonderful. Loved Devlin. Loved Emmie. Loved Winnie. And I kind of want to skip way ahead to read Hadrian's book. Though I know that's almost certainly a very bad idea based on previous experiences reading this series out of order.I am fairly tolerant of not-entirely-accurate-to-the-period vocabulary as long as it doesn't detract from the story. But. NOBODY IN REGENCY ENGLAND EVER REFERRED TO A BAKED GOOD AS A COOKIE. EVER. NOBODY. Nobody in modern day England does that…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
3.5 to 4 stars
This sucker is LONG! 471 pages! I guess that's what it takes to set up a world that's going to feature more than a dozen books.
Having discovered that some of Ms. Burrowes' later Windham-adjacent books mention a LOT of secondary characters that I was expected to know, I've hunted down the earliest books in the series and plan to work my way through in order. So, I think this is her first published book - though I'm told she had many additional unpublished works at the time. I suspect one of those must be Douglas/Gwen's story since we get rather more information about them than you'd usually expect of secondary characters. Gwen was our hero's brother's widow then his betrothed then Douglas stopped the wedding that neither bride nor groom particularly wanted anyway. We learn all this to emphasize how focused the duke is on getting his now-oldest son married and producing sons - and how significantly he interferes (to the point that that youngest son fakes being gay).
Anyway, the hero is the Earl of Westhaven and he has a very pretty very efficient housekeeper (Anna) hiding a mysterious past. They wind up spending quite a bit of time together and develop strong feelings for each other. You might expect that the story would be about Westhaven avoiding marriage due to his father's interference but he proposes early and often while Anna puts him off because she is afraid of something in her past and anticipates having to run away again.
Ms. Burrowes' writing is lovely as always, but I will say that when you find out what the mysterious past is, you kind of want to point out to Anna that marrying Westhaven was the perfect way to escape it so why did she keep turning down his proposals. So, there's a bit too much of the "I'm going to sacrifice myself to do what I've decided is best for the other person without actually asking them". But there are also some very nice secondary relationships - between Westhaven and his remaining brothers (who both wind up moving in), between Anna and her younger sister Morgan, between Morgan and Westhaven's youngest brother (which I thought might turn romantic but stays platonic), etc.3.5 to 4 stars
This sucker is LONG! 471 pages! I guess that's what it takes to set up a world that's going to feature more than a dozen books.
Having discovered that some of Ms. Burrowes' later Windham-adjacent books mention a LOT of secondary…
Lady Sophie's Christmas WishLady Sophie's Christmas Wish, eBook
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2011eBook, 2011
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
Very sweet. Westhaven, St. Just and Val are back, so it'd be a good idea to have read their stories before this one. That's the only drawback to Grace Burrowes' Windham series. You have to read it in order because once a character is introduced, they stick around for all future books. I made the mistake of trying to enter at book 9 and it was just too much, so I had to go back to the beginning.
Vim is lovely. Sophie is lovely. And they both fall head over heels for baby Kit. Unfortunately, this is one of those books where most of the conflict is based on one character misunderstanding something the other character said and could easily have been resolved by a simple conversation. Because, really, not much else happens. Nevertheless, I got quite attached to the characters which pulled me in emotionally. Ms. Burrowes is just that kind of author. Not to mention the protective older brothers turning into matchmakers was just plain fun.Very sweet. Westhaven, St. Just and Val are back, so it'd be a good idea to have read their stories before this one. That's the only drawback to Grace Burrowes' Windham series. You have to read it in order because once a character is introduced,…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
I had high hopes for this book, having found Val a refreshing contrast to his brothers in their story. He was the one who brought music and joy into difficult situations. Unfortunately, Ms. Burrowes decided to take his music away. But, while having a hand injury that prevents a person from playing for a few months is certainly hard on a person, it did not compare to his brother's PTSD from being surrounded by death and destruction during military service. Not that we should compare tragedies, but this needed to be a lighter story to contrast the previous one. Since it was not, comparison was inevitable, and "The Soldier" got to me in a way that The Virtuoso did not.I had high hopes for this book, having found Val a refreshing contrast to his brothers in their story. He was the one who brought music and joy into difficult situations. Unfortunately, Ms. Burrowes decided to take his music away. But, while…
Lady Maggie's Secret ScandalLady Maggie's Secret Scandal, eBook
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2012eBook, 2012
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
Loved Maggie. Loved Benjamin. Appreciated that, for once, Maggie's big secret that she didn't feel she could inflict on any potential husband was both (a) actually a big deal and (b) incredibly difficult to fix given certain power dynamics and legal realities.Loved Maggie. Loved Benjamin. Appreciated that, for once, Maggie's big secret that she didn't feel she could inflict on any potential husband was both (a) actually a big deal and (b) incredibly difficult to fix given certain power dynamics and…
Lady Eve's IndiscretionLady Eve's Indiscretion, eBook
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2013eBook, 2013
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
3 to 3.5 stars
As I work my way toward the end of Grace Burrowes' Windham series, they start to feel a bit fanfic-y. I appreciate that the author took a lot of time to build an extensive and complex world, but having every single sibling featured in any of the earlier books plus their parents and other random secondary characters not only make appearances but have sections written from their perspective is simply too much. When I ran into this in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/192104-windham-brides">Windham Brides"</a> series, I thought it was just me because I hadn't read the earlier books (which admittedly made it worse) but, even knowing who the characters are, it still distracts from the core story. For this reason, I would advise anyone who wants to try out something by Grace Burrowes look to her more recent <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/229169-rogues-to-riches">Rogues to Riches</a> series which, while also featuring one central family, doesn't have them all on top of each other to the same degree.
Evie and Lucas themselves had potential - and if I was going to have to read from the perspective of secondary characters, I would have preferred to learn more about Jonathan and Amy (though it looks like they get their own novella) and really kept the focus of this book wrapped around the Georgie subplot. (Lucas's has just come out of mourning for his older sister, Marie, who was married to Jonathan. Georgie is their daughter who Jonathan won't let Lucas see, but Lucas made a deathbed promise to Marie that he'd look after Georgie.)
So, we have a couple with great chemistry, a lot of history, impacted by a whole bunch of external factors (including Evie's concern about her "indiscretion", a fear of horses due to a bad riding accident which badly injured her, a history of loving horses before that, the aforementioned Georgie and, of course, avoidable misunderstandings) and I honestly think there was just too much. The only thing we were missing was the kitchen sink. The story needed to be a bit more focused, and it's a bit of a pet peeve when the back-of-book blurb doesn't really resemble the actual story at all.3 to 3.5 stars
As I work my way toward the end of Grace Burrowes' Windham series, they start to feel a bit fanfic-y. I appreciate that the author took a lot of time to build an extensive and complex world, but having every single sibling featured…
Lady Jenny's Christmas PortraitLady Jenny's Christmas Portrait, eBook
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2013eBook, 2013
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
Delightful end to a generally strong series. While we still had appearances by a lot of supporting characters, the number of different narrative perspectives was honed down to a reasonable number and most of the focus remained on Elijah and Jenny. My initial reaction to the first main conflict was "oh, just have a conversation already" but the follow-up showed that the issues were deep enough that doing so wouldn't have been sufficient. And they did wind up having that conversation; it was just that it took more work than that.Delightful end to a generally strong series. While we still had appearances by a lot of supporting characters, the number of different narrative perspectives was honed down to a reasonable number and most of the focus remained on Elijah and Jenny. …
The Trouble with DukesThe Trouble with Dukes, eBook
by Burrowes, GraceeBook - 2016eBook, 2016
Available
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
I likely would have enjoyed this book more had I read the previous series. While I enjoyed the interactions between Hamish and Megan, there weren't enough of them so I didn't invest in either character as much as I'd like. Instead, there were far too many scenes between men I presume were heroes of earlier books and no real context for why I should care about them (beyond the fact that they were the heroine's cousins). I also didn't need to spend quite so much time in scuzzy villain dude's head.I likely would have enjoyed this book more had I read the previous series. While I enjoyed the interactions between Hamish and Megan, there weren't enough of them so I didn't invest in either character as much as I'd like. Instead, there were far…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 11, 2024
Comment:
Simply fantastic. #5 in the series. While there's enough background provided to read as a standalone, I do think it's worth reading at least #4 to have a more thorough understanding of both Robert's medical history and Constance's family history.
Robert has epilepsy and, because of this, his father had him locked away in a "home" where a quack attempted all sorts of torturous "treatments" on the residents. Also, his father told the rest of the family he was dead. Robert and Constance initially met when she was working as a maid at this facility for a few months; they became friends; she was only fifteen at the time, so no romance then. About five years ago, Robert's father died, younger brother Nathaniel inherited the title of duke before discovering that Robert was alive after all and bringing him back home. After a decade in the awful "home", Robert was still suffering the consequences of the "treatments" (anxiety, in particular) so Nathaniel kept his existence a secret to guard against him being declared mentally incompetent and being returned to another such "home" or put under the mercy of an unscrupulous guardian (which wouldn't be able to be Nathaniel because that would be perceived as conflict-of-interest). That's all in #4, by the end of which the brothers decide it's time to publicly acknowledge Robert and return the title of Duke that he ought to have inherited.
In this book, Robert and Constance are reunited. They have a quiet mature romance that really only occupies a quarter or so of the book. The bulk of the story relates to how Robert copes with the epilepsy, how society reacts with it and a corrupt lawyer who tries to get himself named as Robert's guardian so he can embezzle from the estate. There's also a decent amount of attention to Constance's search for her long lost daughter, given up for adoption as a baby but whose adoptive parents had since passed away.
In my opinion, this book reads more like good general fiction that just happens to feature a couple who fall in love than it reads like a romance novel per se. That's neither praise nor criticism; just observation.Simply fantastic. #5 in the series. While there's enough background provided to read as a standalone, I do think it's worth reading at least #4 to have a more thorough understanding of both Robert's medical history and Constance's family history. …
Lady Louisa's Christmas KnightLady Louisa's Christmas Knight, Book
by Burrowes, GraceBook - 2012Book, 2012
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 09, 2024
Comment:
Loved Joseph and Louisa. Didn't love all the insertions of scenes featuring mostly irrelevant side characters (e.g. Prinny).
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 08, 2024
Comment:
This was a fun read, but it suffered from a couple of plausibility issues. Maybe it's because I work at a university, but there's no way a college would refuse to renew someone's work permit if it would leave courses without an instructor mid-semester. Not to mention he's an engineering professor, and they'd be incredibly difficult for a small crappy college to find given that industry pays way better than academia (and within academia, the big name schools pay better than the small crappy ones). But that's our premise, so we smile and nod, suspend disbelief and go with it.
My only other issue was that Tom was such a genuinely great guy that when the plot required him to temporarily be a jerk, it felt completely out of character. I'm mostly thinking of the third act breakup - which felt somewhat artificial and like it only happened in order to set up the reunion. And, honestly, I'm not convinced either was necessary. There was enough going on with the Charlie subplot (Tom's former fiancee's son who he views as a stepson and who is the entire reason he wants to stay in the country) to have allowed a more organic ending.
Regardless, those were fairly minor issues and the book was overall very enjoyable.This was a fun read, but it suffered from a couple of plausibility issues. Maybe it's because I work at a university, but there's no way a college would refuse to renew someone's work permit if it would leave courses without an instructor…
susan_findlay's rating:
Added Mar 01, 2024
Comment:
Really enjoyed this one. It turned out to be almost as much about the daughter (Chloe) as the mother (Jessica). Chloe has fallen in with a bad crowd and, after having to pick her up from a jail cell, Jessica tries to enroll her in a ranch-based support program for troubled teens. There's no space in the program, but they desperately need a cook. So, Jessica proposes that she'll be the cook if they make a space for her daughter. If only Jessica actually knew how to cook...
We alternate between four perspectives - mother, daughter and the two love interests - and take a serious look at anxiety in teens alongside the more traditional romance content. Well written, funny at times, touching at others. Definitely recommend.Really enjoyed this one. It turned out to be almost as much about the daughter (Chloe) as the mother (Jessica). Chloe has fallen in with a bad crowd and, after having to pick her up from a jail cell, Jessica tries to enroll her in a ranch-based…
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