Review: The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers

So yes, I read The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers as soon as it released. In case you don't know this yet, Ms. Chambers is long-time romance blogger "Tumperkin." I knew she had a book releasing and meant to read it because of course I've been curious. However, interestingly enough this book was with my recommendations at Amazon and I placed it in my "Wish List" without realizing it was "Tumperkin's" book! I can be so clueless at times! But since it caught my attention all on its own, I'm sure Ms. Chambers won't mind too much.

The Lady's Secret
by Joanna Chambers

London, 1810
Former actress Georgiana Knight always believed she and her brother were illegitimate—until they learn their parents were married, making them heirs to a great estate. To prove their claim, Georgy needs to find evidence of their union by infiltrating a ton house party as valet to Lord Nathaniel Harland. Though masquerading as a boy is a challenge, it pales in comparison to sharing such intimate quarters with the handsome, beguiling nobleman.

Nathan is also unsettled by Georgy's presence. First intrigued by his unusual valet, he's even more captivated when he discovers Georgy's charade. The desire the marriage-shy earl feels for his enigmatic employee has him hoping for much more than a master-servant relationship...

But will Nathan still want Georgy when he learns who she truly is? Or will their future be destroyed by someone who would do anything to prevent Georgy from uncovering the truth?

Joanna Chambers uses a true and tried trope for her debut historical romance novel The Lady's Secret, the one where the male protagonist falls in love with the cross-dressing heroine. Oh yes, you might say we've seen this done before, particularly in those old medievals where the girls attempted to hide waist-length hair and some impossible-to-hide female attributes. However, that's not what you'll find in this book at all, instead you'll find that Chambers makes some of those impossibilities possible and makes this trope her own with details, details, details.

Georgiana grew up in a theater and works as a stagehand. She tried her hand as an actress, but stage fright kept her away from following in her mother's footsteps. However, these are skills that serve her well when the time comes for the biggest role of her life. Georgy and her brother Harry know they are the true heirs to the Earl of Dunsmore fortune and title, but before they can claim either proof that their dead parents were legally married must be found.

As Harry travels from parish to parish trying to find that proof, Georgy plans to take their investigation further by going through the Earl of Dunsmore's own home, hoping to find something there. Her plan is to pose as a servant but there are no openings. The opportunity presents itself when Lord Nathaniel Harland, who is in need of a personal valet, is heard to be invited to the Dunsmore's Christmas celebration. Georgy disguised as a valet applies and is hired for the position and the deception begins.

Now think of what it means to be a personal valet. It's not just dressing the man, it's performing all those personal, everyday tasks for him that create intimacy -- shaving, supervising his bath, bringing him breakfast in bed, taking care of him when he's sick, sharing his personal space and all the small intimate details that reveal the man behind the Lord. This is what Georgy shares with Nathan before he even realizes she is a woman.

The key words above are "intimate details." Joanna Chambers truly gives the reader that sense of intimacy between the two characters during this time. And details also take center stage when it comes to Georgy's masquerade. I admit that I kept looking for those moments when you say "aha! the girl gave herself away"... but no, in Georgy, Chambers creates a female character that truly fits her role perfectly. I'm not just talking about Georgy's physical attributes, but the way she carries herself as well. Chambers doesn't place her character in impossible situations either. I don't want to give away too many details or spoil it for the readers, but if you decide to read the book you'll know what I mean.

Besides the fact that the female in the story fits her role as a valet beautifully, one of the reasons this plot works so well is because the deception doesn't go on for too long, and once Georgy is discovered the romance really takes off. However, before she's discovered the intimate scenes serve to build up sensuality -- the head massage scene in particular comes to mind. Too good... just too good!

Nathan is not necessarily attracted to Georgy when she's the valet, but well... there's something about "George" that doesn't quite seem right to Nathan. Once Georgy is unmasked, all that intimacy makes for some excellent, sizzling sexual tension between Georgy and Nathan. I really liked this couple. It's all great fun!

The plot takes place in different settings: London, the Earl of Dunsmore's country home, and later on Nathan's own country estate. I loved the scenes in London and everything that happened at the Earl of Dunsmore's home. The Christmas get together for the servants was a wonderful scene. It's interesting experiencing a romance from both points of view at the same time: the upstairs and downstairs. My one quibble is the couple's behavior while they stayed at Nathan's country estate. As for the rest, well... for me the final resolutions to the conflicts were all satisfying in the end.

The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers is a historical romance that I'll remember for the way the intimate atmosphere heightened the romance between two great characters, and for a true and tried plot that stood out because the author really took her time with the details. I enjoyed Ms. Chambers debut novel from beginning to end and will definitely read her next book.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: None
Publisher: Carina Press/November 7, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Joanna Chambers here.

Contemporary Minis: Sarah Mayberry, Victorial Dahl and more...

Happy Sunday! I hope all who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful long weekend! I certainly did. Today I've grouped four recent contemporary romance reads from Harlequin and am sharing them via mini-impressions -- two recent releases and two older ones. The grades range from B+ to B- so they all turned out to be enjoyable reads for different reasons.

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All They Need by Sarah Mayberry

I really enjoy Sarah Mayberry's contemporary romances, but I was hesitant to read All They Need because well... it deals with Alzheimer's and that kind of hits home. However, Mayberry seems to explore these serious subjects with sensitivity and in the end that's what changed my mind. It was an emotional read for me and of course that touch of realism hit me hard, but the romance balanced it out. That's what Mayberry does so well.

Mel and Flynn's romance develops nice and slow. Flynn is a heck of a guy. At times I thought he was too perfect, but that's not necessarily true. I think it's good that he shows his self-absorbed side at the beginning because for the rest of the story, he's pretty much understanding, sweet, passionate and loving. Mel? Well, Mel has been traumatized by her marriage and the psychological abuse her ex-husband dished out during all that time. She's not ready for a long term relationship, and although she allows passion to rule her relationship with Flynn, her heart and head are another matter. That becomes the real conflict between them. Lack of trust and real emotion. I had a couple of issues with this romance, mainly to do with Mel's change of heart and unseen character growth. However overall, I found this to be another solid contemporary romance by Ms. Mayberry. (Harlequin, November 1, 2011): Grade B

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Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery #3) by Victoria Dahl

I liked Eric Donovan when I first met him in Good Girls Don't. I know... I know... he was tough on the kids (and kids they were, and to me they still are at the end of this series if you go by their immature and self-centered regressive behavior), but to me both those kids needed a good kick in the butt. True, he didn't always handle things correctly, but then when taking into consideration the circumstances he did the best he could and should have been admired for it. His siblings didn't really seem to appreciate Eric's position and that was a real shame. But anyway... enough about the frustrating sibling relationship and on to the romance.

I was happy that Eric found himself a woman, and Beth was definitely good for him. Their relationship began as a one night stand based on a lie, and later on continued as a steamy and sensual sexual relationship between adults that slowly developed into more. These two people had baggage and they both had to struggle to make a complex relationship a success, so as it turned out it was even sweeter when at the end it did. This was a highly enjoyable contemporary for me because I really liked both central characters and their romance. (HQN Books, October 25, 2011): Grade B+

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I also read two contemporary category romances that are older releases, but turned out to be quite fun! The first one is Sex, Straight Up by Kathleen O'Reilly (Blaze #388), the second book in the Those Sexy O'Sullivan's trilogy and Daniel O'Sullivan's story. I was really surprised at how good and sexy this story turned out and I liked it more than the first book. Why? Well, mainly because Daniel is a widower still grieving for his wife who died during the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 and he was so reluctant to let her go. However, in this book (as opposed to the first one where the male was the only reason for my grade) the female character, Catherine Montefiore, made a difference and provided balance. She turned everything around and made this story really work for me. I found this one to be a sexy, emotional and satisfying read. (Harlequin, April 1, 2008): Grade B

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The other book is By the Book by Nancy Warren (Blaze #85). Now this one was fluffy, fun and just what I needed to read at the time. Shari decides she's going to have a hot date and maybe a night with the hunky downstairs neighbor, but when she sees that he sent for a book with the title "Sex for Total Morons" she changes her mind. Luke is not about to let her, so he asks her to help him get through part of the book, and hmm.. she becomes his tutor -- just for the first few chapters. Riiiight! Of course, we all know who wrote the book, yes? This one turned out to be a book where characters have lots of preconceived ideas on all sides, with lots of fun dialogue, funny situations and sexy circumstances. As I said above, fluffy, fun and read at just the right moment. (Harlequin, May 1, 2003): Grade B-

Happy Thanksgiving and some Pamela Morsi Americana...

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I'm getting ready for my family get together tomorrow. Everyone in my family is going to be here. My brother is traveling from Florida, so all my brothers, their wives and children will be present this year. Nice! I just got home from work, but the cooking and baking are already underway. Of course we'll be having the traditional American meal of turkey with all the trimmings. It's a wonderful holiday, and I wish all of you celebrating tomorrow a Happy Thanksgiving with your families.

And because this blog is all about books and reading, I would like to follow that up with the nice surprise I had when I arrived home today. Last year I read and loved some excellent Americana historical romance. I fell in love with quite a few authors. One of those authors is Pamela Morsi. Well, I finally found some of her back list books, ordered them and they are here!

• I loved, loved Simple Jess. It was my very first Pamela Morsi read (the way the same friend who sent me the Balogh books, introduced me to Ms. Morsi's works by sending me that book. Isn't she the best?). The Marrying Stone is the book that comes before Simple Jess in sequence and I've been wanting to read it for about a year now. It's the romance between Jess's sister Meg and Roe Farley. I can't wait to go back to Marrying Stone Mountain in the Osarks! 
• Here Comes the Bride is another book that I've had in my sights for about a year now. This is the romance between Augusta Mudd and Rome Akers and this one is set in a small town in Texas. The description of the book reminds me a little bit of Courting Miss Hattie (my very favorite Morsi read) and I can't wait to read it. :)
• The Love Charm is another book I've had on my wish list for a long time. The setting alone sounds too intriguing to pass up. The story is set in19th Century Louisiana and the characters are Acadian. There seem to be a few romances going on at the same time in this story, but the main characters are Armand Sonnier and Aida Gaudet. 

Sooo, I have lots of great books to read! I wonder which books will call to me in the next couple of weeks. Notice that all of them are historical romances. Interesting.

Besides Pamela Morsi, I enjoy works by Lavyrle Spencer and Cheryl St. John. How about you? Who is your favorite Americana historical romance writer?

Book Haul! Mary Balogh Heaven & A Special Thanks

It's that time of the year! This is Thanksgiving week and the Christmas holidays are approaching fast. For me that means reading Mary Balogh historical romances. A few years ago, a friend introduced me to this habit of hers... she has been reading and enjoying Balogh's Christmas stories for years! Well, I find that I not only love to read Balogh's holiday books, but all her stories do it for me during this time of the year. In 2009 A Matter of Class was one of my favorite December reads, and last year A Christmas Promise was also a hit with me.

Anyway going on to that haul... that same friend and I have been swapping books for a few years now, and this year she really, really indulged me! This weekend I received a little package consisting of Mary Balogh backlist books I've yet to read. Here are my precious for this season:

• A Regency Christmas VII is obviously a Christmas anthology. This is the 1995 Signet edition, and it contains the following stories: "The Christmas Ghost" by Sandra Heath, "The Rake's Christmas" by Edith Layton, "Lady Bountiful" by Laura Matthews, "A Mummer Play" by Jo Beverly and "The Surprise Party" by Mary Balogh. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to reading this anthology for the holidays!
• The Gifts of Christmas is another anthology, this one a 1998 Harlequin edition containing three longer, thematic stories. "A Handful of Gold" by Mary Balogh, "A Drop of Frankincense" by Merline Lovelace, and "A Touch of Myrrh" by Suzanne Barclay. It's the three kings! This is another must read for me. :) 
• Then there's Longing! The 1994 Topaz edition. This novel is set in Wales and it's the story of Sian the illegitimate daughter of a lord and Alexander, Marquess of Craille, a widower with a daughter who hires Sian as his daughter's governess. I love the fact that this story is set in Wales, there's mention of ironworkers, poverty, passions, desire and well... I can't wait to get started on this one!

• Truly (1996 Berkley edition) is another romance set in Wales! This time between a wealthy lord and a minister's daughter. It looks like I'm going to be enjoying historical details about Wales along with a sweeping romance full of adventure.  
• Silent Melody (1997 Berkley edition) is the second book in the Georgian set, the first book is Heartless. I haven't read the first book either, so I have no idea if that will make a difference to my enjoyment. However I do love books set in the Georgian period, plus the story sounds fascinating! The heroine in the story is deaf/mute and I can't wait to find out how Balogh handles the story and romance. 
• And well... Unforgiven (1998 Jove edition). This is the third book in the 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' series. I read the first book, Irresistible and really enjoyed it, but have not been able to get my hands on the second book, Indiscreet! Believe me, I'm ecstatic to finally get my hands on the third book! 

I'll have to pick and choose which of these books to read, if not all of them! On this Thanksgiving week when we give thanks for everything we've received and for all our blessings (and this year I have to give lots of thanks), I would like to specifically thank my friend for her generosity throughout the years. But today? Well, today I'm a happy reader!

...On Chulito by Charles Rice-González

I was able to finish reading one book last week while surrounded by stressful family situations, mainly because that book just wouldn't let me go even through all my worries and stress. That says something about a book, yes? Of course, this is by no means a perfect book, plot-wise there are a couple of questions that are not answered by the end, but this is a minimal complaint from me compared to what it offered.

That book is Chulito by Charles Rice-González. This author co-edited and included a story in the From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction anthology that I reviewed recently. However, Chulito is not a pure fiction read, although the excellent writing and the in-depth exploration of characters and their motivations certainly places it in that category. Chulito takes center stage in this story as he comes to terms with his sexuality and his developing romance with childhood friend Carlos. So there's a coming-out story with a romance between two young adults -- sixteen and seventeen years of age -- with sexual content and mild violence included. How the author goes about telling his story? Well, that's what this is all about.

There are quite a few aspects of the book that grabbed me from the beginning. Rice-González develops the romance and especially Chulito's slow journey toward coming to terms with his sexuality by using the South Bronx as the backdrop for his story, so his characters are for the most part Puerto Rican kids from a Latino neighborhood. First, he really captures the neighborhood's atmosphere -- both the sense of belonging and the claustrophobia felt by the residents of Hunt's Point. Second, his focus and grasp of Latino macho culture is excellent. The author depicts how the extreme macho Latino's attitude manifests itself toward women. However where the author really succeeds is in his main focus which is in showing how the gay sub-culture is viewed and the effects that macho attitude has on gay Latinos.

Rice-González explores this macho culture from the inside out by making Chulito a Latino "thug in the making," one who has to make a decision between being what it's expected of him in front of his "boys," or being true to himself and his very confusing feelings for his childhood friend Carlos. As you can well imagine, this is not an easy decision for Chulito to make, not when he has been brought up to believe that being a "pato" means rejection and possible violence from the very people that mean so much to him.

Carlos represents the smart, educated Latino young man who left the neighborhood to go to college. He's also gay, out, proud and ready to leave the neighborhood, except that he himself is pulled back not only because his mother and Chulito live there, but also because of that sense of belonging. Carlos is an admirable character in this story, not only because he is 'out' in the neighborhood and doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, but because he refuses to compromise his beliefs. Interestingly enough, to a certain degree even Carlos can't help but be attracted to and admire the beauty of Latino men. The macho attitude is a big turn-on for him, Chulito's in particular.

There's a section in the book where Chulito is dreaming and Rice-González conducts an in-depth exploration of the different degrees on the "macho" scale. This is also where the author begins to bring some balance to the equation.

Then they had a quote from the woman who invented the Macho Meter: "All men have macho in them. Even gay ones, but there are varying degrees, and while most forms of macho are lethal to the progression of the world and society, there are some acceptable levels, very low levels, that can sometimes be useful." 

There are female characters included in the story and Rice-González mixes it up by portraying sad, dysfunctional and healthy relationships between men and women to round up this story. There are also examples of different types of males used across the board. From the drug dealer Kamikaze and the would-be macho thugs hanging on the corner, to ex-convicts and the hard working men who populate the neighborhood.

Also key to this story are the gay characters that live in the neighborhood: Julio or La Julia owns the local travel agency and serves as an example and mentor to the younger men. Puti is the sad and lonely local drag queen. Lee from the Chinese restaurant, and one of the best characters in this story, Brick. Brick is a tough ex-drug dealer who got out of the game and whose best friend is Julio. He's flawed with positive and negative sides to his character, but serves as a great example of the Latino uber macho whose masculinity is not threatened by his close friendship with a gay man. Overall there's a wonderful mixture of characters.

Rice-González takes his time developing this story. Chulito's background, feelings, the challenges he faces on a daily basis are all explored in-depth. His life in the neighborhood as a runner for Kamikaze, the local drug dealer and Chulito's mentor. The relationship he has with his "boys" from the neighborhood. The deep love he shares with his mother Carmen and the resentment and indifference he feels for his dead father. Coming to terms with his sexuality is not an easy step or a ride in the park, and his romance with Carlos is riddled with deep disappointments, betrayal, tenderness, passion, yearning (like you wouldn't believe), angst, and deep love.

Ever since I read From Macho to Mariposa I've been looking for other books to read by gay Latino writers and well... I thought this book might be the perfect beginning. It was. Chulito is a great mixture of gay fiction and romance with a focus on the gay Latino experience. I highly enjoyed Charles Rice-González's writing style and his down to earth, no holds barred depiction of characters, culture, sub-culture, circumstances and setting in Chulito. I will keep my eye on this writer, hopefully there will be more books like this one from him in the future.

Category: LGBT - Gay Fiction/Romance
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Magnus Books/September 23, 2011- Kindle Edition
Grade: B

Visit Charles Rice-González here.

ETA: This was not meant to be a review, just my thoughts or impressions on the book (see post title). But, I think it turned into a review in the end, so I gave it a grade... Solid with excellent qualities!