Review: The Sergeant's Lady by Susanna Fraser

Highborn Anna Arrington has been following the drum, obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington’s army in Spain behind her and go home to her family’s castle in Scotland.

Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.

As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives together. The attraction between them is strong, but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount’s daughter and an innkeeper’s son?

I loved the story of Anna and Will. The setting in Spain during the war with the French was rich with details and Fraser caught the atmosphere by depicting the harsh reality of war and transporting the reader to those moments in time. Even later when Anna returns to England, through this character and those she meets, the reader experiences a different place -- a place where its people are still dealing with the ravages of war and loss.

Anna "follows the drum," and an abusive and controlling husband who serves in Wellington's army in Spain. After he dies she decides to go home, but while on her way Anna is thrown together with Sergeant Will Atkins, a brave, kind soldier who saves her life after their convoy is captured by the French. The two become fugitives and while on the run, their attraction grows and the two embark on a secret love affair that turns into more. Unfortunately she is highborn and he's of common birth, and neither can see a way to surmount this obstacle.

Will and Anna are excellent protagonists. He is the self-educated son of a country innkeeper and she is the daughter of a viscount who made his fortune in India. Society keeps them apart, as he is poor and can't even afford to buy an officer's commission, and she is a wealthy heiress and widow. I loved both of them as central characters. Anna who performed her duty, paid a high price during a cold and abusive marriage, but still recognized a good man and had so much love to give. She's a character that just grew and grew throughout this two-book series. And then there's Will... talk about love and romance! I loved him.

In The Sergeant's Lady the emotional connection between the two main characters was there from the beginning and it pulled at me to the end. There's also passion, tenderness and love. Plus my goodness... there's the desperation of two people who have all those feelings and know they can't have each other! The writing is beautiful and between that, the story, characterization, setting and atmosphere I couldn't stop reading this story from beginning to end.

The end was a bit rushed in my opinion, and there were a couple of things I wanted to know about Anna and Will at the end that were not clarified. However, that's small potatoes compared to how much I enjoyed the rest of this book. Beautiful, this was a beautiful historical romance.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: The Sergeant's Lady, #1, A Marriage of Inconvenience (Prequel), #2
Publisher/Released: Carina Press/August 23, 2010, Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Susanna Fraser here.

Mini Impressions: May Reads 2011

Here are some of those mini-impressions I usually include with my monthly recap. I decided to post them separately for my May 2011 reads because my post changed, and it turned out to be too long. As you can see they're mainly LGBT and contemporary romance reads.
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Homecoming by Rick R. Reed

Homecoming is a story of loss, grief and finally a second chance at love as life goes on. This was not an easy ride, but rather Reed takes the reader for an emotional roller coaster ride. After Toby dies in an accident, his partner Chase is left devastated by loss and grief. Chase's journey to recovery from that grief begins when the couple's friend Mike invites him to visit their old haunts in Chicago with hopes that Chase will snap out of his depression.

There are two love stories in this book, the central one is Chase and Toby's and then there's a more subdued one that develops as Chase finds his second chance at love. I loved Chase and Toby's love story, told through Chase's memories as he both grieves and is haunted by his lost love. I also enjoyed the hopeful ending, but most of all the journey that took Chase to that end. (LGBT) Grade B

Promises (Coda Books #1) by Marie Sexton

I enjoyed this story, the two main characters and the slow building friends-to-lovers trope. It does have a "gay for you" feel to it, although it might be argued that the one character is basically buried in the closet. However, I found the writing lacking in detail and rushed throughout with more "telling" than "showing." As an example, issues and problems between the two main characters are introduced, but the reader never experiences the resolution with the characters, instead they are "told" in a paragraph what that resolution was and the story moves on at a pretty quick pace to next scene. Having said that, Sexton's main characters are likable and the story has enough good moments that I enjoyed it to the end. (LGBT) Grade C+

The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon

A good whodunit with a rather distant protagonist and a rushed and dissatisfying ending. That's what I thought of The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon. This is one of those novellas that would have benefited from more character development for those secondary characters and fine details, although again the historical atmosphere and particularly the whodunit were well-done. (LGBT) Grade C

Still the One (The Educators, #1) by Kathryn Shay

This was an average contemporary romance read for me. It's a self-published story by Shay that deals with a teacher who falls in love with one of his senior female students, leaves, and years later returns to town to apply for a position as principal of the high school. The young woman, who also had feelings for the teacher, reacts radically when he leaves and basically ruins her immediate future. In the present she is a widow with two boys and a teacher at the school.

Shay takes on the sensitive subject of attraction between teacher and student and deals with it quite well. I also liked the high school student and teacher atmosphere she developed in this series. There's definite chemistry between the two main characters and that's a plus. I had a few problems with the story though, the teacher was 24 years old when he fell for 18 year-old Annie in senior year, however he "had been there for her" ever since she was a freshman. How old was Dylan when he began teaching, 20? When did he have time to get his BA and his teaching degree? I don't know... just one of the little niggles. The bottom line for me is that although there is chemistry between the characters, the romance just doesn't feel well developed and for some reason, I had a tough time connecting with Annie. The fact that even as an adult she blamed Dylan for her downward spiral bothered me to the end. This is a self-published book/series, so expect a few errors throughout the text. (Contemporary Romance) Grade C

Someone Like You (The Educators, #2) by Kathryn Shay

In the second book of The Educators series, Shay goes back to Crystal Corners High School and features another teacher and war widow, Brie Gorman, as she falls in love with her dead husband's best friend and hot coach, Nick Corelli. As with the first book, Shay also makes the students part of the romance and in this one she highlights Matt, a young man with severe issues at home who has turned to cutting as an avenue of escape.

I enjoyed this story a bit more than the first one. The initial dislike and slow-building attraction between the two main characters kept me reading. The teacher/student relationships and school atmosphere were also well rendered by Shay. However, the story takes a few turns where the reader must suspend disbelief in order to finish it. The resolution to Matt's story is one of them. A good read that fizzled toward the end. (Contemporary Romance) Grade: C

Maybe This Time (The Educators, #3) by Kathryn Shay

In this, the conclusion of The Educators trilogy, one of Shay's teachers again confronts tough issues while finding love. This time it's the cool, young teacher who gets her turn. While stuck at Atlanta's airport on her way home, Delaney meets a man and proceeds to have a hot and sizzling one-night stand, that both feel might turn into more. Later, she finds out that this man is non other than her favorite student's father, Gage. Stephanie is not just a favorite student, but a troubled and psychologically fragile teenager who trusts Delaney as an adult. A relationship with Stephanie's father is out of the question, but as the parent and teacher have more contact with each other the mutual attraction becomes a frustrating, losing battle for the couple.

This contemporary romance had good moments with a couple that had chemistry and again, that good high school atmosphere with teachers that care. However, I had just one too many problems with it, including the amount of issues that were thrown into the simmering pot for Gage and Delaney. Stephanie's psychological rebelliousness, the school situation, the way over-the-top drama with Stephanie's friends, Stephanie's mother and how her bipolar illness was handled within the story. Most of all the unplanned pregnancy, which is not one of my favorite devices, and how that affected the romance between the two main characters. So, not a favorite read for me. (Contemporary Romance) Grade: C-

His Hearth (Warder Series #1) by Mary Calmes

An M/M romance that basically, like its characters, couldn't make up its mind which way to go: a contemporary romance through 80% of the story and a paranormal for the last 10%.

This story had one main character who didn't sleep around unless he was in a committed relationship, yet did, and another one who was begging, and I mean begging and pitiful, throughout most of the story. He comes off as weak and manipulative yet later, during the paranormal part of the story, we are supposed to believe this character is somehow a macho, killing machine. I didn't buy any of it. Nothing made real sense, neither the contemporary part of the story, nor the paranormal. A real disappointment for me. (LGBT) Grade: D-

May 2011 Reads & Meeting Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh's Kiss of Snow U.S. Book Tour
June 2, 2011, New York City

May was a great month for reading, reviewing, bookish things and meetings, as earlier in the month I had a wonderful time while meeting my old friend Indie for the first time. Then yesterday, (I know it's June!) I had the pleasure of meeting Nalini Singh, while she is on her Kiss of Snow U.S. Book Tour, at a Barnes & Noble in New York City. It was a wonderful experience and one that I shared with my friend Mariana of Hips Like Mine. The two of us caught the bus after work, met at the Port Authority and shot over to the venue, arriving a bit late due to heavy traffic.

When we arrived, the chat between Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches Trashy Books and Ms. Singh was already in progress, but what we caught was both amusing and informative. Ms. Singh kept her audience rapt by giving just enough hints and information about characters, story arc and future books (three, maybe four before the series ends!). She was warm and just lovely. Ms. Singh was also very generous with her time during and after the conversation, especially during the second part of the event when every single lady had the opportunity to sit by Ms. Singh to chat briefly while she autographed each book(s).

I didn't bring my ARC copy of Kiss of Snow (yes, I was kicking myself) so I purchased a copy, plus a print copy of Play of Passion since that's the only book from her series I read in ebook format. She autographed both of them for me while we chatted briefly and she proceeded to surprise me with her incredible memory for names and details -- meanwhile Mariana took the above grainy picture of the both of us with my phone. So yes, now I own two copies of each one of those books, lol! But I'll save the signed copies for my collection and use the other ones for re-reads -- rationalize, rationalize. :)

Well, that's my experience with Ms. Singh. Now I should go on with my recap of last month's reads which will be a short one this month. I decided to post my usual minis separately since this post is already so long.
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Total May Reads: 19
Contemporary: 9 (Romance: 8  Fiction: 1)
Historical Romance: 2
Paranormal Romance: 2
LGBT:  6 (Romance: 4 Mystery: 1 Erotica: 1)

1. Dragon Bound (Elder Race #1) by Thea Harrison: B+
2. Somebody Wonderful by Kate Rothwell: B+
3. Twisted Creek by Jodi Thomas: B+
4. Driftwood by Harper Fox: B+
5. Portrait of Seduction by Carrie Lofty (Upcoming Review)
6. Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie (Upcoming Review)
7. Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro: (Upcoming Review)
8. The Heat is On by Jill Shalvis: B
9. Homecoming by Rick R. Reed (Upcoming Mini): B
10. The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyd: B-
11. On the Line by Kathryn Shay (Upcoming Review)
12. Under Her Skin Anthology with Jeaniene Frost, Meljean Brook, Ilona Andrews: B-
13. Love and Rockets by Gavin Atlas: B-
14. Promises by Marie Sexton (Upcoming Mini): C+
15. The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon (Upcoming Mini): C
16. Still the One (The Educators, #1) by Kathryn Shay (Upcoming Mini): C
17. Someone Like You (The Educators, #2) by Kathryn Shay (Upcoming Mini): C
18. Maybe This Time (The Educators, #3) by Kathryn Shay (Upcoming Mini): C-
19. His Hearth by Mary Calmes (Upcoming Mini): D-

As you can see my top reads this month are a combination of the genres I read this month and new and old releases: paranormal, contemporary, historical and LGBT romance -- no fantasy or science fiction this month! I began reading War for the Oaks by Emma Bull and although I was enjoying it, didn't finish it before the end of the month. When it comes to science fiction I did try reading Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley, but I'm afraid that book ended up in my "did not finish" pile. 

What about you? What book stood out for you in May? 

Mini: A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Jordan Rhodes is invited to all of Chicago's best parties, but there's only one the FBI wants to crash. To get her brother out of jail, she agrees to take Agent McCall as her date. But when the mission gets botched, requiring their "relationship" to continue, it starts to feel less like an investigation-and a lot like something else.

Well, I really enjoyed A Lot Like Love by Julie James. In this story James combines contemporary romance and "light" suspense quite well. Jordan and Nick are as different from each other as you can get, yet by the end you believe they belong together.

She's the owner of a successful wine shop and he's an FBI agent who needs her help to catch a crook. Julie James uses Jordan's wealthy background and Nick's preconceived ideas about what that might mean to set up initial tension. Jordan being a woman who works hard for her money, is not ashamed of her father's wealth and has never been spoiled, gives as good as she gets and the result is some excellent snappy and witty dialogue between these two.

A Lot Like Love is a good contemporary romance with lots of amusing moments, likable protagonists, and quite a few sexy moments. I actually loved Nick's slow trip into love, thought his internal dialogue was a hoot and really enjoyed the ongoing joke where everyone refers to him as Tall, Dark and Smoldering (or TDS as I began to think of him). I wish a visit to New York with Nick's mother and brothers had been included, there was some great interaction over the phone with these characters, and it almost felt as if the story was incomplete without their physical presence. This is the second book by Julie James I've read and really enjoyed it, so I'll definitely pick up the next book which will be featuring the Twitter Terrorist himself, Jordan's brother Kyle.

Category: Contemporary Romance
Publisher/Release Date: Berkley, March 1, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Julie James here.

Review: The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed

Every summer, Samantha Wheland joins her childhood friends—Isabel, Kendra and Mina—on a vacation, somewhere exotic and fabulous. Together with their mixed bag of parents, they've created a lifetime of memories. This year it's a beach house in Honduras. But for the first time, their clan is not complete. Mina lost her battle against cancer six months ago, and the friends she left behind are still struggling to find their way forward without her.

For Samantha, the vacation just feels wrong without Mina. Despite being surrounded by her friends—the closest thing she has to family—Mina's death has left Sam a little lost. Unsure what direction her life should take. Fearful that whatever decision she makes about her wealthy French boyfriend's surprise proposal, it'll be the wrong one.

The answers aren't in the journal Mina gave Sam before she died. Or in the messages Sam believes Mina is sending as guideposts. Before the trip ends, the bonds of friendship with her living friends, the older generation's stories of love and loss, and Sam's glimpse into a world far removed from the one in which she belongs will convince her to trust her heart. And follow it.

The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed is her debut novel. This is a book that left me with mixed feelings and deep thoughts about life, death, friendships, family, love and more. Although I'm sure many consider this novel women's fiction, for me it had a more literary flavor, perhaps because of the style in which it is written, the prose, and the depth with which the different subjects are approached.

Birth and Death are the two occurrences in a person's life that seem to say one thing: we are not the ones calling the shots. "The only consolations are love and best friends." That's what Mina told me two days before she died.

That's how this story begins and right there is the substance of this story. After losing Mina, Samantha herself feels lost, and grief and guilt make her question a lifetime of personal decisions. She wants to grieve on her own but her friends won't allow it, and Isabel, Jesse, Lynette, Cornell and Arshan come down to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to help her go on. All of them, including Isabel and Kendra go through the grieving process, consolidating their friendship and love, and going through a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Mina seemed to have been the axis around which the rest of the friends rotated and although dead, she is very much a part of their rough journey.

Through Samantha's character and quantum physics (and what some would call magical realism), Cloyed goes forth in her attempt, a creative one if I may say so, to disprove the fact that "we are not the ones calling the shots." You'll find references to both the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Many World Theory -- which theorizes that there are "a number of parallel universes, and everything that could possibly have happened in our past, but didn't, has occurred in the past of other universe or universes."

However, although science is very much a part of this quest, there's also a mixture of interesting characters in this story. Isabel is half-half Panamanian/American, Kendra is half-half African American/White and Mina's parents were born in Iran with Samantha being the red head American in the group. The author uses this mixture of races and cultures, as well as the setting in Honduras, to address racial and cultural differences. And as if that were not enough, while relating their personal experiences, the Baby Boomer parents in the story also get into history as the reader is treated to their personal struggles and first person points of view on the 1960's U.S. Civil Rights struggle, the Iranian Revolution and South American politics, as well as and the struggle of the Garifuna population in Honduras where the group of friends is staying.

There's a generational theme in this story. The parent's older generation making a connection with the younger one by imparting experiences often fraught with controversial subjects, but flawed or not, all leading in one way or another to lessons in life and love. The friendship and bond between Sam, Isabel, Kendra and Mina is deep, the connection between them supposedly making them stronger. Instead I found them to be fragile, fragile to the point of brittleness and therefore easily broken and in need of saving. The younger women's sense of hopelessness weighs heavily for most of this story, even through the lighter moments.

As you can see this is an ambitious undertaking by Ms. Cloyed, and although the four friends are there as characters, as is the journey of the self, this not necessarily your typical women's fiction read. This is where my mixed feelings come in about The Summer We Came to Life, as some of its strengths can also be considered its weaknesses. At one point there are as many meaningful subjects discussed or debated as there are shifts in points of view. Those constant shifts were problematic for me through the beginning of the book, and even a few times later when I sunk into the story. On the other hand, I quite appreciated Cloyed's creative blending of magical realism (if magical realism is her objective) with science, and found both her prose and in-depth characterization to be excellent throughout.

Finally I'll say that The Summer We Came to Life is not an easy read, but it is one that made me think and that's always a plus for me. This is Deborah Cloyed's debut novel and it's very good in my opinion. I would like to see what comes next from this author.

Category: Women's Fiction
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Mira, May 31, 2011
Source: ARC Planned Television Arts, Ruder Finn
Grade: B-

Visit Deborah Cloyed here.