Laura Freeman's Blog, page 14
February 3, 2022
Shadows in Death
Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb 2020
This is a long-running series and takes place in 2061. Through the years Robb has given readers pieces of Eve and Roarke’s troubled past but usually sticks to Eve’s point of view. In this book, the story is often told from Roarke’s POV and reveals a lot about his past. This makes Shadows in Death a must read for Roarke fans.
The story begins with the murder of a woman meeting her lover. Her husband has hired killer Lorcan Cabbe to slice her in a long deep cut up the middle, his trademark. He sees Eve and Roarke at the murder site and makes his presence known. He wants revenge on Roarke.
The husband is soon apprehended by Eve, and the story focuses on Roarke and Cabbe, who claimed to be Patrick Roarke’s eldest son and only heir to his name. Roarke shares their past history and how he was saved by Summerset. Cabbe kills a cat as a warning, and for a split second Eve thinks it’s her beloved cat, Galahad.
The whole team and others volunteer to hunt Cabbe down and bring him to justice. When he target’s Roarke’s family in Ireland, it provides more background on Roarke and his family.
The hero in a story is often mega rich. It makes it easier to explain expenses that may incur during a story, but Eve’s distaste for wealth and her integrity makes Roarke’s wealth an important factor and point of contention in their relationship. This conflict creates tension and keeps their relationship vibrant.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#mystery #JDRobb #Roarke
January 31, 2022
When A Laird Loves A Lady
When A Laird Loves A Lady (Highlander Vows – Entangled Hearts Book 1) by Julie Johnstone 2016 Highlander
The story takes place in 1357 England and Scotland in a familiar story plot with Marion de Lacy’s cold, harsh father Bardon de Lacy promising her to the evil William Froste who wants her father’s land for his pledge that his knights will support de Lacy in his effort to overthrow King Edward.
Edward knows of the plot and in a deal to free the Scottish King, orders Iaian MacLead to marry Marion. Marion only wants to marry for love and tries to escape her father’s plans only to run into Iaian. He loved his first wife Catriona, and when she died two years ago, it broke him. He swears he will never love again. This is the internal conflict that each character must overcome. Marion and Iaian feel lusts for each other and agree to marry, but Marion hopes to win his heart. External conflicts include Catriona’s jealous sisters and Froste’s knights.
Johnstone provides plenty of action in a fast-paced story. She uses a seer to set up expectations and uses another villain to bring about the problems that will separate Marion and Iaian. She includes castles, battles, and the customs of the time to make the story believable. She also shows the emotional ups and down of the couple who want to love each other but guard their hearts from pain.
Other book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Johnstone #romance #highlander
January 27, 2022
Vendetta in Death
Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb 2019
Some books benefit from a theme. This novel deals with rape and abuse of women by men. Robb covers rape by bosses of employees or potential employees; rape by husbands; cheating by husbands; husbands who cheat their wives financially in the divorce; and abuse of children.
Lady Justice is the killer, but Robb introduces her and her revenge in her disguise so the reader doesn’t know who she really is until later. Sometimes it is necessary to reveal the crime through the killer’s POV, but you don’t want to reveal their true identity. It can be done by never naming the person or by using an alias or made up name such as Lady Justice.
The victims are abusers, and Eve struggles with standing for them but believes arrest and punishment by the courts is better than Lady Justice taking the law into her own hands. Some readers may disagree. Lady Justice kidnaps the men, tortures them with a taser rod, and then castrates them before dumping their bodies. It’s violent and final and makes a point.
The women tell their stories as Eve interviews them, and their experiences hit home because current news has covered so many of the same stories and how women didn’t report abuse because no one would believe them. The man was too rich or too popular, and they felt helpless on top of all the other feelings. The men often used drugs to disable the women. They videotaped the sex and used exposure to blackmail the victim. It’s a tough book to read, and anyone who has been a victim may want to pass on it.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Mystery #JDRobb
January 25, 2022
A Harlot at the Highland Court
A Harlot at the Highland Court: A Redemption Highlander Romance (The Highland Ladies Book 12) by Celeste Barclay
This is a long series but each story can stand on its own. Emile Dunbar is lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth de Burgh who is married to King Robert the Bruce at Stirling Castle. Her sister Blythe shares her room.
Emile secretly meets Henry Pringle, who makes quick time of seducing her and leaving her wondering why she is disappointed. The reader knows he’s a skunk, and Emile soon receives a letter from her father that Henry has married Alice. Dominic Campbell catches her reading the bad news in the garden and comforts her. When he catches her returning from the midwife with pennyroyal for an abortion, he proposes handfast or a trial marriage.
Dominic’s dead wife Colina appeared to be the perfect wife to him, and he didn’t recognize her treachery until later. He has to come to terms with being deceived by Colina and makes a lot of mistakes with Emile. She wrestles with her feelings that Dominic only married her out of duty. Most of the book is about their struggle to establish their relationship, but once they resolve them, outside troubles begin.
The lead characters need internal and external problems to solve. How they resolve them establishes what type of people they are and how they feel about each other. The more difficulties they have to overcome, the deeper that relationship can grow or change.
Emile and Dominic were both nice, honorable, and honest from the beginning and although their relationship had some rocky spots, it was smooth throughout the story with a lot of declarations of their feelings and plenty of spicy lovemaking. It was more a study of how to establish a relationship than a love story. They have to overcome past mistakes to begin a life together.
The relationship part showed how communication is important and had friends offering advice when they hit a rocky patch. This is better than stories where two lovers quarrel and a simple conversation would resolve their differences. Anyone who wants to learn the steps to establishing a relationship could learn from this book. Also a good third of the book describes several different sex scenes in detail between the couple qualifying it as erotica or a sex manual.
Spoil alert: Do not read the remaining paragraphs if you plan to read this book.
The villain who lies to Emile and leaves her pregnant doesn’t appear until the very end. Villains need to be developed. Emile never has a chance to confront him and tell him off. I would have liked a scene, even short, with the two of them. Not only could she tell him she was better off without him, but he could explain his motive for what he did, which was confusing.
The book explained the law clearly in that any child born within a marriage is the legal responsibility of the husband whether he is the father or not. Dominic marries Emile to give the child his name and protection. A man can claim an illegitimate son as his heir at any time so there was no rush for Henry to make the child his heir. Also, no one would risk the things the villain did if the child was a girl, so it didn’t make sense to have it all happen before the child was born.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Highlander #Scotland #romance #Barclay
January 20, 2022
Mirror, Mirror
Taken in Death (Mirror, Mirror) by J.D. Robb 2013
This is a short story included in the “in Death” series with Eve Dallas and Roarke. A short story has different rules than a longer novel, and this book of 145 pages helps to understand what is needed when a lot of action is put in a few pages.
The story begins with 7-year-old twins Gala and Henry being kidnapped after their nanny, Darcia, is brutally murdered. Henry calls the kidnapper a witch and the story has a fairytale theme running through it. The witch looks like his mother though. Eve knows the children have been taken and initially believes the mother is guilty since she used her car to take the children, but the parents, Tosha and Ross arrive. Tosha has a twin sister, Maj, who killed their father and tried to kill Tosha when she was 12. She’s crazy, and that level of danger ramps up the tension in the story.
In a short story, the crime needs to be simpler and focused like this one. A quick surprise or twist helps to keep the reader interested in the story. The theme makes it relatable as the children are forced to eat drugged sweets, and Maj threatens to eat them.
Eve assembles her team, but they are in the background to simplify the story. Limit the number of characters in a short story. The POV is told from Henry’s point of view as well as Eve’s which helps to increase the fear as the reader sees the witch through the child’s eyes.
A time factor is important in a short story. Maj calls and demands Tosha choose which child she will kill. Eve knows Maj isn’t bluffing and will likely kill both children but wants to torture Tosha. Even in a short story, the hero must solve the crime and rescue the captives. Keep it personal.
More book reviews can be found at authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Mystery #JDRobb
January 17, 2022
The Duke is Wicked
The Duke is Wicked by Tracy Sumner 2021 Regency Supernatural
This Regency provides an added element of the supernatural and the formation of the League of Lords, which is the basis of the series Sumner has written. This is the third book in the series but can be read independently.
Sebastian Fitzerald Tremont has the power to start fires, and his friends calls him “Fireball.” He fears his powers and hasn’t formed a romantic attraction although he plans to propose to Kitty, who also is a member of the League and can disappear. They do not love each other, but he has inherited the title of duke, which Kitty covets.
His friends Julian can see images if he touches an object and is married to Piper (book 1) while Finn reads minds and is married to Victoria (book 2). Humprey is a big fighter and Simon a teen pickpocket who can talk to ghost.
American Delaney Temple is dubbed “Lady Nuisance” by the ton and does what she pleases. She is not impressed by the duke’s title but is attracted to him, especially after saving him from a bee sting that triggers an allergic reaction. She can memorize anything she reads and store it in her “attic” of a brain. Someone is blackmailing her for information about the Chronology or occult book and a soul catcher stone. They invite her to join the League and help her.
Sebastian and Delaney verbally, physically, and emotionally battle through the pages of the book with their romance, which is spicy for a Regency with the heated love scenes Sumner scripts.
I kept thinking of the supernatural heroes popular from comics when reading this and realizing supernatural powers can be owned by anyone from any time period. In these books, the characters battle to control their powers and have to come to terms with sharing their gifts with the women they love, who also share powers of their own.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Regency #romance #supernatural #Sumner
January 13, 2022
Golden in Death
Golden in Death by J.D. Robb
Dr. Kent Abner opens a package with a golden egg and releases a toxin that instantly kills him. His partner is Dr. Martin, headmaster of a private school. This case is personal to Lt. Eve Dallas because her friends Louise and Charles knew the men. They were well liked and nobody seems to be a suspect until Elisa, a teacher and book store worker, dies in a similar manner. Her husband was a teacher at the private school.
When writing a mystery, it is good to have a personal tie to the crime. With so many cases, Eve cannot be tied to all of them, but by having her friends know the victim, it makes it more personal. Eve’s circle of friends has greatly increased over the years and is one of the things that makes her likeable. If others like your character, the reader will like your character.
Eve looks at the school and does her routine of interviews, gathering evidence, and looking for motive. The previous headmistress slept with fathers and teachers and allowed the rich students to bully the scholarship students. This brings in a problem the reader can relate to and makes a social statement about privileged and wealthy young people.
Robb adds description of the wealthy offices and apartments contrasted against the simple descriptions of the cozy homes of the victims. Use description to contrast your characters and give insight into their values.
Some of the interviews are with innocent victims who were bullied or overcame their bad behavior in school. This makes the villains choose their behavior instead of blaming a past experience for committing a crime. The suspects are arrogant and lie, which is a big clue to a guilty party.
More book reviews are available at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#mystery #Robb #EveDallas
January 10, 2022
A Rogue to Remember
A Rogue to Remember by Chastity Bowlin 2019 Regency
This is a more traditional Regency romance with Douglas Ashton, Lord Devil returning home from exile in India after his father dies. He finds his sister dying in a shack with her daughter, Marina, and promises to take care of the three-year-old, who is terrified of men.
Devil hires Wilhelmina Marks, the illegitimate daughter of a lord, to be governess to Marina. Effie, also the illegitimate daughter of a duke, started a school and the Hellion Club for castoffs. Willa’s half sister Lillian is mentioned and is in the next book in the series. Effie suggests Willa poses as his betrothed to avoid scandal for Willa, and he pays his Aunt Jeanette to play chaperone.
They are attracted to one another, but he is a rake, and she knows her reputation must remain spotless to work and provide for herself in the future. But she wants to help Marina and sees a side to Devil as he cares for his niece that others do not and fears her growing desire for him.
Bowlin balances logic and common sense with their growing attraction throughout the story, increasing the tension to the end. She also offers a villain worthy of hating in Alaric Munroe, who is Marina’s father. He had hoped to poison both her mother and Marina, but Marina survived. He now plots to gain a ransom from Devil after kidnapping his child. He expands his plan to include Willa.
The tension and danger ramp up quickly, and Devil is unable to save Willa from the kidnapping because someone else is involved in the plan that he does not suspect until too late. Having a second villain or a secret partner involved is a good way of increasing the danger and outwitting the hero, who is no fool and takes precautions but not enough.
Society would not approve of an illegitimate daughter marrying a lord just like a poor girl marrying a rich man is seen as a fortune hunter even today, but Willa and Devil have survived lonely childhoods and being outsiders of society. You root for them to defy the rules. The Hellion Club promises to have interesting women as the heroines.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Regency #romance #Bowlin
January 6, 2022
Leverage in Death
Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb 2018
This novel has an employee with a bomb strapped to his chest blow up the owners of two companies planning a merger. Detective Eve Dallas discovers the bomber’s wife and child were hostages and the man had to choose between his family and fellow employees. He chose his family.
For any writer of a mystery or thriller Robb has a sequence of events that other writers can follow. The opening scene is dramatic and people die. No one knows the motive or real killer yet. She begins with the crime or murder and then moves to those closest to the bomber to find out clues and motive. The killers made a mistake leaving the wife and child alive, and Eve’s first clue is that the bomber is military from something he said to the wife.
The detective interviews several people, searches homes, updates her commander, and has her team gather evidence and information. It is Roarke, her mega-rich husband, who helps with motive. The two companies’ stocks will drop, but with the announcement of the merger going through, the stocks will go back up. Most people know to buy low and sell high so they can relate to this concept. The killers want to make a fast buck. That they are willing to sacrifice so many lives to make quick money, makes them evil. The bad guy must be dark and evil in order to make him dangerous and urgent for the detective to find him.
Dallas interviews more victims, and crime stories often have several rounds of interviewing witnesses. This leads to a man who knows things and soon ends up dead. But this character provides information because he knew the killers. One suspect can lead to others.
Another family is targeted and another father explodes his bomb at an art gallery in another way to raise quick money. Crimes can be repeated with the stakes raised for each one until the killers/criminals are caught. The final confrontation must be between the detective and the criminal. Eve also interrogates the criminals into a confession after they are arrested.
In between solving the crime, Dallas and Roarke have a fight, make up, and watch the Oscars to give the reader something else to think about besides murder. It also shows growth in their relationship. With a detective, it’s good to add some softness with a personal life. Robb has balanced the romance with the crime investigating throughout her series.
More book reviews can b found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#mystery #Robb #EveDallas
January 4, 2022
The Widow
The Widow by Mary Kingswood 2019 Regency
Kingswood writes a series based on the survivors of a shipwreck or relatives of those who perished. The characters are not the usual innocent maid seeking a titled lord for a good match. In “The Widow,” Nell Caldicott is married to Jude Caldicott, the captain of the Brig Minerva which sinks. She is relieved because he beats her when he is angry, which is more often lately. She still has bruises on her face when Nathan Harbottle visits, seeking news of his cousin, Felix Harbottle, who is next in line to inherit.
Nathan offers his friendship but is smitten with Nell, who has vowed never to marry after Jude’s harsh treatment. Impoverished, she tries to reconcile with her brother, but he made a promise to their father never to provide her with property or money because she married Jude, a man beneath her position. James is named the guardian of Louis, Nell’s son with Jude.
For those who want to know more about the gentry, the class restrictions, and the other rules that governed English society, this book provides many insights into how and why these distinctions were adhered to no matter how people felt.
I often read the bio of the author, and Kingswood is English and familiar with the history and laws that would govern English citizens, especially in the Regency period. She provides plenty of facts that are not found in simpler Regency novels which helps a reader understand what proof was needed to inherit.
Nell discovers her husband was paying someone, perhaps a mistress, more than half his earnings. This is one of many mysteries that needs to be solved in the story. Kingswood weaves the romance between Nathan and Nell with their past and the search for answers as they travel from Portsmouth to London and Yorkshire.
The pacing is much like a mystery as clues and information are revealed step by step and the final truth revealed in the last few chapters. The story is realistic with Nell’s feelings shown in stages as she comes to terms with her husband’s death, lies, and her need to find herself.
More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com
#Regency #mystery #romance #Kinswood
