Review - - The Quest

The Quest 

by Pam Binder

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Release Date: July 29, 2020 (reissue w/ revisions)

Reviewed by PJ

 

Medieval Highland apprentice witch Ana de Dannon is desperate to free her imprisoned mother and needs a champion. Her evil stepbrother has offered her mother's freedom in exchange for his defeat at the tournament. Knowing it's a trap, she still summons a legendary warrior. But instead of Cuchulainn, a famous 21st century quarterback appears.

Kenneth MacKinnon (Mac) is stunned he has traveled to 14th century Scotland but agrees to help Ana free her mother if she will return him to the future. Fighting their mutual attraction, Ana trains Mac for the competition. He is a fast learner, with a kind heart buried under his arrogance, but he has much to learn. Ana fears their chances of escaping with her mother—and their lives—diminish by the day.

PJ's Thoughts: 

I enjoyed Binder's realistic depiction of 14th century Scotland, the heart-tugging romance between Mac and Ana, the action and danger, and the touch of otherworldly magic. Ana and Mac were both likable, relatable characters in whose happiness I quickly became invested. Their romance is a slow burn and I liked that the author gave Mac plenty of time to adjust to the reality of his situation before advancing their relationship. All of the characters, including the supporting cast, were fully formed, true to their time and position in society, and moved the plot forward. The touch of magic was well placed, keeping me guessing as to where the author would take that particular thread and the ultimate impact it would have on the overall story. 

Without getting into spoiler territory, there were a few issues relating to Mac where I wanted closure and didn't get it. It didn't ruin the HEA for me (I was happy with Mac and Ana's relationship and where they ended up) but it did put an asterisk on it for me. Since this is time travel where you pretty much have to check your disbelief at the door, there's a good chance most readers wouldn't even notice my quibbles. 

I was intrigued by Ana's parents and would love to know more about her father and mother, their past, and what happens to them following the end of The Quest. I don't know if Binder plans to write that story but if she does, I'll definitely be reading it. 

If you enjoy slow burn, fish-out-of-water, time travel romance with action, a bit of humor, and plenty of heart, give this one a try. 

Review - - The Highland Guardian

THE HIGHLAND GUARDIAN

By Amy Jarecki

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Forever

Release Date: December 19, 2017

Reviewed by Hellie

The third in Jarecki's Highland trilogy, THE HIGHLAND GUARDIAN introduces Reid, the Earl of Seaforth, and Audrey Kennet, an English heiress, who is as shy as she is rebellious. On a return trip from France, after meeting with King James of Scotland (a treasonous offense), Reid's ship is attacked, and Audrey's father, Nicholas, is killed when the ship is sunk off the coast. With his dying breath, Nicholas begs Reid to look after his daughter, and Reid agrees. 

Reid's belief he has taken on the guardianship of a wee lass is abruptly corrected when he meets his nineteen-year-old ward, the fair and beautiful, Audrey. His plans immediately turn to finding a husband for the girl so he can go back to his true duties, the cause, putting the rightful heir, King James, back on the throne of England and Scotland. Audrey, recently back home from completing finishing school, is devastated to learn her beloved father has died and horrified to learn she is to be married off to the nearest man with a pulse as soon as it is convenient for the earl.

Of course it proves challenging to marry off a gorgeous nubile young woman with more money than Croesus, and there are various issues that cause the young couple to be in each other's company time and again until the unthinkable happens, and the earl realizes he's in love with his own ward. Audrey is equally vexed when she realizes the same for herself. And because the road to true love hasn't run smooth so far, Reid also has to wheedle himself out of a lifelong family betrothal in order to marry the woman he loves. Breaking off a betrothal with the excuse you're in LOVE is always eyebrow-raising prior to 1850, and breaking off a betrothal to say you're in love with an ENGLISHWOMAN when you're a Jacobite Scottish nobleman is akin to sheer lunacy. Still, not impossible.

For me, the story is 2 stars - and I feel I must explain why the story was not my cup of tea. I started
reading this book no less than three times (the third in which I 'finished' only to complete the review.)
While the young and noble Reid was no challenge to like and fall in love with, I found Audrey more
frustrating. While she is a sheltered, spoiled young heiress, doted on by her father, she feels younger than her nineteen years, especially nineteen year old women in the 18th century. While Jarecki does a wonderful job of creating heroines who are authentic to their time period (I enjoyed the first two in the trilogy), I felt Audrey was more improbable. While it's possible to be painfully shy, yet bold while riding a horse or picking out a heartstopping red ballgown, it felt improbable. I don't know - the painfully shy factor seemed incongruous with someone who was loved and spoiled by her father, encouraged to think and have opinions, and seemed to think it was shocking her father was planning to find her a husband, when she's nineteen, the only child of a coal-mining fortune, and living in a century where that was what women grew up knowing was their outcome as soon as they were of age. Someone who is as intelligent as the heroine proves to be cannot be that dim-witted about the realities of her time. 

One of the first things she does when introduced in the story is ride off alone on her trusted gelding to clear her head. She doesn't take a groomsman with her to protect her. She doesn't tell Reid she's going out - she's escaping him - and no one questions it. Not impossible, I remind myself, but improbable. She could be kidnapped for ransom or killed by outlaws, but it seems not to cross her mind at all. In fact, she doesn't learn from the first time she rides out alone - she does it again a chapter or two later, but this time Reid happens upon her and tells her to take a groomsman with her from not on. Perhaps I've spent my time reading too many Regency novels where if an unmarried girl leaves her house without the proper retinue of protectors and keepers, her reputation is mud, and maybe things were more lax a hundred years prior, but I don't think so. If she had been anyone but the rich sole heiress of a recently deceased businessman, I would have bought into it more. After all, in the first of Jarecki's books, the heroine travels a lot by herself...but her family is poor and she is the breadwinner. She also has a few more skills for protecting herself than Audrey does.

The camel straw for me was when Audrey was afraid that the ball she was going to would be a disaster because she couldn't dance and no man would possibly find her desirable. She. Who is a fair English rose...and the heiress to a king's ransom? Granted, Audrey had a few mortifying experiences at Court and some balls she was forced to attend that would lend to her mindset, but in a world - which Jarecki alludes to with the scene with the solicitor - where women should be rarely seen and not heard, a beautiful young woman with a fortune and who is so shy she doesn't like to talk or share her opinions can only seem like a 18th century man's wet dream in my opinion. 

However, my issues with how young women should behave - when I'm well past nineteen and unwilling to dwell on what a prat I could be like - is mine; and as a third in the trilogy, it ties up loose ends well enough, closing a door on an interesting chapter in Scottish history. Reid is heroic and delightful; and for some, Audrey's shyness will be a welcome change from the slew of Lara Croft-like heroines who star in many current historical romances. 

Review - - The Christmas Cottage / Ever After

The Christmas Cottage/Ever After

By Samantha Chase

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: October 6, 2015
3.5 stars / 2 stars

This is a dual reissue of connected books released originally in 2012 and 2013 respectively.  In The Christmas Cottage, Lacey Quinn, as maid of honor, has been charged with preparing the legendary Callahan Christmas Cottage to the specifications of Ava Callahan, Lacey’s life-long best friend. According to Callahan family lore, everlasting love is assured any couple who spends the night in the Christmas Cottage, and Ava is determined to give her marriage this protection by spending her first night as a married woman in the cottage. In fact, Ava is so determined that everything be perfect that she has prepared a notebook with seventeen sections of instructions for Lacey, and just in case the preparation may be too much for Lacey, Ava has enlisted the help of her older brother and her fiancé’s best man, Ean Callahan, much to Lacey’s dismay.

Ean was Lacey’s first love, and no one else has ever measured up to him. She also associates him with the most humiliating moment of her life. The evening before Ean was scheduled to leave for college, fourteen-year-old Lacey kisses him and tells him she loves him. Ean is horrified. Lacey has been a part of his life forever. She is his little sister’s best friend, and their parents are close friends as well. He is fond of Lacey, but at eighteen, he sees the four years between them as enormous. Plus his attention is on college, the new world awaiting him, and the realization of his dreams. He handles the situation gracelessly, and Lacey is crushed. She spends the next decade avoiding him, a task made easier by his infrequent trips home. She takes off for the Callahan ranch outside Asheville, North Carolina and the site of the famous cottage, expecting to get a head start on Ava’s to-do list so that the time she has to spend with Ean is limited.

Ean has found greater professional success than he ever imagined, but his life in Boston has begun to seem empty. He realizes how careless he has been about spending time with his family and determines to change that, beginning with his trip home for Ava’s wedding. But he wants some time to himself to think things through before the wedding, and what better place to be alone than the family ranch.  Predictably, Lacey and Ean get snowed in, but being forced into one another’s company gives them an opportunity to sort out the past. Once they do so, they discover love blooms even in the snow.

Lacey and Ean’s romance is a sweet one, and once they deal with their past, which they do in a manner befitting two adults, the obstacles to their HEA are relatively minor with the real messiness being reserved for Ava’s love story. I liked Lacey and Ean (although I kept wanting to see his name spelled Ian) and thought their story was a heartwarming Christmas story. The only thing I disliked in this story was Ava’s behavior.

Ever After takes place eight months after The Christmas Cottage. Ava Callahan hasn’t seen Brian McCabe since the night before her scheduled wedding to Brian’s best friend, Mason. Brian paid a visit to Ava, armed with a list of reasons she and Mason were all wrong for each other. His reasons must have been persuasive—or perhaps it was that sizzling kiss and his confession of love for Ava. At any rate, Ava and Mason called their wedding off, and Ava hasn’t seen Brian since that night. Although she has no regrets about her cancelled wedding, the obvious happiness of Lacey and Ean plus the news that Mason is newly engaged and Ava’s realization that her life is not going according to her plan has her feeling a bit sorry for herself.

Brian knows Ava is the one for him, and he is willing to be patient. He has bided his time for eight months, giving her space to get over her breakup with Mason. But with Mason engaged and Ava about to graduate with her degree in library science, he thinks it is time to make his move. He is disappointed but not discouraged when she turns down his dinner invitation. He just regroups and anticipates another chance.

Ava cannot deny that she finds Brian attractive, but the idea of dating the best friend of her ex seems strange. But Brian is persistent, and he is so-o-o good-looking and so thoughtful. And he knows her so well, remembering details like her favorite flowers and her dreams of travel. And her family likes him. Her dad even invites him to play golf, something he never did for Mason. Soon Ava is falling in love, and everything is grand—until Brian refuses to go along with her idea of perfection. Maybe he is not the right man for her after all.

Brian is a dream come true. He truly knows Ava, and he loves her for who she is. Unlike Mason, he is not interested in changing her. He is infinitely patient, incredibly kind and thoughtful, capable of romantic gestures, great with babies, and a terrific lover. But Ava is so hung up on her obsession with the legend of the cottage and every detail of her happily-ever-after love playing out according to her notion of the perfect romance that she can’t appreciate what she has.

Ava is a shade less irritating in this book than she was with all her self-absorption and bitchy moments in the previous book, and she does become self-aware eventually—although typically even then her reaction is over the top.  As for Brian, he is endearing, but I would have found him more credible if he had been less longsuffering and rather more humanly flawed. The best part of the second book for me was seeing Lacey and Ean living their HEA, sleep deprivation and all.

I liked The Christmas Cottage and have no hesitation in recommending it for contemporary romance fans who like their books heavy on the sweet, low on conflict, and light on sizzle.  One caution: despite the title, the holiday is very much sketchily drawn background in this book with no substantive Christmas connection. And unless you are a reader who must read all connected books, I cannot in all honesty recommend Ever After.

~Janga

Guest Review - - Monarch Beach

Monarch Beach

By Anita Hughes

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Release Date: June 19, 2012

Amanda Blick’s life may not be what she dreamed of at eighteen, but it’s one she finds fulfilling. She’s happy in Marin County, California, with her routine of ladies auxiliary lunches, committee meetings, PTA fundraisers, and after school activities for her eight-year-old son Max. She’s still in love with Andre, her sexy French husband, a chef whose restaurant specializes in fondues. Life is good—until everything changes one Tuesday when she drops in unannounced on her husband at his restaurant and finds him enjoying a close encounter of the sexual kind with his Scandinavian sous chef. As a sop to Andre’s pride, the Blicks have been living in a small house and managing on Andre’s income, but Amanda belongs to a wealthy, established San Francisco family and has inherited a fortune from her father. When her mother learns of Andre’s infidelity, she first calls a lawyer and then makes reservations for herself, Amanda, and Max to spend the summer at the upscale St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort.

Andre insists that his affair was meaningless, that he loves Amanda and Max, that divorce is ridiculous. Amanda waffles a bit, but she’s almost certain she can no longer live with Andre. What better place to make up her mind than the St. Regis where childcare and surfing lessons are provided for Max, designer fashions are available in the shops, and a perfectly trained hotel staff caters to her every wish from decadent desserts to thousand-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. When she has a surfeit of working out and lying in the sun, she can spend time with Edward, an older, divorced man, also a chef, who welcomes her to his restaurant and to his bed. But when Edward, angry about Amanda’s difficulty in letting go of Andre, spends an evening with an old friend with benefits, Amanda wonders if she can trust any man.

Written in first person, Monarch Beach is chick-lit rather than romance fiction; thus, no one should be surprised that conventions of the romance genre are ignored here. Readers who consider adultery taboo may be turned off by Amanda’s affair with Edward while she is still legally the wife of Andre Blick. Frankly, I was less bothered by her unfaithfulness than by her shallowness. I quickly grew weary of the endless details of couture and cuisine, and I found nothing to admire or like in Amanda’s immaturity and passivity. Andre has made all the decisions in their marriage, and after she leaves him, her mother takes over. Amanda seems to revert to adolescence in the games she plays hiding her activities from her mother.

Even the sex is pedestrian. Although Amanda claims that Edward’s lovemaking leaves her in “a state of sexual bliss,” she hardly seems a participant but rather an object acted upon. Her passivity is not limited to sex. She never behaves like a thirty-something adult. At the end, after she is disillusioned by Edward, it is her mother who suggests Amanda can still become the fashion designer she dreamed of being. It is her mother who makes a series of phone calls to the “right people” and through the magic of money and contacts in a few days has Amanda admitted to the prestigious Parsons School of Design, secures a suite for Amanda and Max to make an unlimited stay at the St. Regis in New York, registers Max at private school with a waiting list, and persuades Andre to accept the divorce. I see little evidence that Amanda changes and grows during the course of the book.

A review is one person’s opinion, and I have never been particularly interested in the lifestyle of the privileged and cheated on. Other readers may be interested and may enjoy Monarch Beach. I didn’t, and I can’t in good faith recommend it.

~Janga

http://justjanga.blogspot.com