"Rogue Pirate's Bride" by Shana Galen

Erotic: Average

Romance: Above Average

Historical: High

Adventure: High

Sap Factor: Low


Time Period: Europe 1802

Book 3 in a series of 3.

Summary: Bastien Harcourt is a pirate captain bent on revenge against another infamous pirate. But his actions have made their mark and another seeks her revenge on him.


The story of the third Valere brother departs from the previous two, taking to the sea in a dashing pirate adventure. He meets his match in the admiral's daughter, Raeven Russell, who seeks revenge for her fallen fiance. There are sword fights, gun fights, sea battles and chase scenes. It's packed with action and adventure and of all of the lovers in this series, these two have, perhaps, the most pronounced personalities. Unlike most romance novels, the characters meet with tragedy, which only furthers their resolve. You won't be disappointed in this one.

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"Making of a Gentleman" by Shana Galen

Erotic: Average

Romance: Average

Historical: High

Adventure: High

Sap Factor: Low


Time Period: England/France 1801

Book 2 in a series of 3.

Summary: Armand Harcourt had been imprisoned for 12 years after the French Revolution. His brother, the Duc du Valere, freed him and brought him to London, but the years in prison had taken their toll. Unable to speak, the Duc and Duchesse sought any recourse to help Armand, and that is why the tutor, Felicity Bennett was brought into their home.
Unlike most sequels, this book literally picks up where the previous book left off and continues on. While the person speaking to the reader has changed, the main characters from the first book are not sidelined for this romance. In fact, Armand lives with the Duc and Duchesse, so they play an intergral part in this story. While, the slient Armnad might be interesting, I found it hard to really like him and the romance between him and his tutor felt forced. However, while it wasn't as good as the first book, it was still a decent read and kept the story going.

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"Making of a Duchess" by Shana Galen

Erotic: Average

Romance: Above Average

Historical: High

Adventure: High

Sap Factor: Low


Time Period: England/France 1801

Book 1 in a series of 3.

Summary: The exiled Duc du Valere of France is living in London while searching for any sign that the rest of his family survived the French Revolution and the beheadings of the aristocrats. But in a time of war, his contact with France has not gone unnoticed. So, a spy is sent into his home to prove he is a traitor, only she finds more than she bargained for.

This tale comes with spies, deceit, twists, turns, a prison break, sword fights and chases. It was full of adventure and action, and while some of the plot twists were easy to spot, others kept me on my toes. The backdrop of the Revolution paints a very complex character in the Duc and the unwilling spy, an orphaned governess provides another take on romance in the Regency period. The story was complex and exciting.

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"Ridiculous" by D.L. Carter

Erotic: Low

Romance: Average

Historical: High

Adventure: Above Average

Sap Factor: Low


Time Period: England, Regency

Summary: After the miserly but wealthy Mr. Anthony North passes at a young age, his female cousin assumes his identity to procure his fortune and keep her family out of the poor house. In her new identity she makes new friends, but finds herself falling in love with a man that believes her to be his best male companion.

This book needs an additional category of humor. It is at times laugh-out-loud funny. In order to convince people of her male identity without giving herself away, Millicent acts the fool on purpose. That way, people will ignore whatever social blunders she makes. This lends itself to an interesting and funny tale of the implausible situation. The characters are lovable and well-developed and this book was refreshing for the historical romance category. How often do you read historical romantic comedies?

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"The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae" by Stephanie Laurens

Erotic: Average

Romance: Average

Historical: High

Adventure: Average

Sap Factor: Low


Time Period: England 1829

Summary: The mysterious Earl of Glencrae arrives in London to kidnap Angelica Cynster and finds himself a willing accomplice.

Unfortunately, the cover of this book is very deceiving. It promises "three heroes, three rescues, three weddings" but fails to mention that it is the final book in a series of three, and contains only one hero and one rescue. The story itself is decent, with a kidnapping, a chase, and a fight to the death. But our lovely lady is gifted with the ability to "know" her true love when she sees him, which leaves little in the romance department. Overall, I liked this story, but the roll calls became tedious and the tiresome. At times I counted over twenty former characters from this author's other books being named in a single paragraph. Having not read all of her books, I found myself both lost and overwhelmed with all of the extraneous characters and they bogged down a decent tale.

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