historical romance

…another Company of Rogues book in my trip down memory lane…

Simon St. Bride, man of mystery! He’s the Rogue who’s hardly been mentioned in the previous books except to say that he’s in Canada. Where in Canada? York, which is now Toronto. What’s he been doing there? Fighting in the War of 1812, then attempting to tidy things up afterward. Now it’s 1816 and time to return to England, but a duel and an unwanted wedding get in the way. Then someone really tries to kill him.

The Rogue’s Return, the 12th book in the “Company of Rogues” collection introduces us to Simon St. Bride – a Rogue that has been referred to but we haven’t met, as he has been out of the country.  Simon was sent to Canada, specifically York, (which is now known as Toronto) to accomplish many things.  He fought in the War of 1812 and then was involved in tidying things up in the aftermath of the war.  He is gathering evidence of misappropriation of funds at the Indian Affairs Department and hoping that something will be done about what he considers a shameful situation.  Days before he is due to return to England he is challenged to a duel by the man he suspects is the embezzler. Because of a strange set of circumstances he is forced to marry Jane (Jancy) Otterburn, his mentor’s niece.  This creates a sticky situation for both of our primary characters; Simon is a member of the aristocracy and he will be bringing Jane (who is not) home to his family.  Jane is hiding secrets that could prove to be the undoing of her if she is found out.  She lives in fear of just that as she comes to love her husband quite dearly.

This book provides many positive aspects.  We are provided with many scenes that provide interesting historical information.  This is of particular interest as “The Rogue’s Return” is the only book that is set in Canada – quite a departure from the glam and glitter of Regency England!  This particular story isn’t one of the action packed ones but rather a slow, gentle and sweet development of romance that charms the reader.  We are given another glimpse into the life of Hal Beaumont – one of the Company of Rogues who lost an arm in the war and loves a woman far less suitable than Jane.  The inclusion of Hal and Blanche provide a much needed perspective to the the problems of the lead couple.

Although I was happy to read yet another Rogue book, I felt that this particular novel was a bit off.  The first third of the book deals with Simon’s life in Canada, his duel and subsequent marriage of  Jane (Jancy).  It seemed odd to me that Simon had to be involved in the duel and then had to marry Jane (Jancy).  I felt the connecting points to be thin.  The middle third of the book covers their boat ride back to England and although there was some tension around whether or not the embezzler is on board, it is also a rather sedate furthering of the couple’s relationship – their learning more about each other.  The last third of the book deals with an unexpected loss in Simon’s family and the discovery of the identity of the villian.  This part had alot of action packed into a small period of time.  It seemed to rush the book to it’s end.

The Romance Reader shares my opinion.  They gave this book 4 stars and say the following: “The Rogue’s Return has earned four hearts because the writing is superior to that in many other romance novels and the character development is particularly strong. Nevertheless, this is not a unqualified recommendation, and other readers may find themselves sharing my exasperation over Jancy and her secrets.”

The Rogue’s Return can be purchased from Amazon

…another gem from the Company of Rogues series as we trip down memory lane…

Tristan Tregallows, Duke of St. Raven is playing the highwayman. His plan is to hold up one coach in order to prove that a man is prison is not the infamous Le Corbeau. However, his target coach is carrying vile Lord Crofton and an obviously innocent lady. Tris has to rescue her, no matter how reluctant she is. And then, of course, he has to help her on her quest, especially as it will take her to an orgy. He is, he assures her, an expert guide to orgies.

Our next story in the “Company of Rogues” series, St Raven,  begins with our heroine, Cressida Mandeville, in a carriage with the villain of the story – Lord Crofton – on her way to hopefully recover a hidden collection of gems in order to save her family from ruin.  Tristan Tregallows, Duke of St Raven, the hero of the story, who is trying to clear his half-brother’s name by pretending to be a highwayman, holds up the coach carrying Cressida.  When he recognizes, Lord Crofton, Tristan decides he has to save the innocent Cressida from the clutches of the lecherous Lord Crofton.  There goes Cressida’s plan to save her family and she is as mad as a wet hen!  Once Tristan understands why Cressida was with Lord Crofton he agrees to step in and help her find her family’s fortune by taking her to Lord Crofton’s orgy – he assures her that he is an expert guide to orgies!  Our story is off to an auspicious start!  Tristan and Cressida work together to try to find and recover the family cache of gems and of course, fall in love as the story progresses.

I found Jo Beverley’s handling of Cressida, an innocent young lady of the era, attending an orgy to be a fascinating read! I thought the sensual environment and the presence of the hero and heroine to be tastefully and skillfully woven into the fabric of this latest story by the author.  Tristan, who starts the story as a rather arrogant, over-indulged nobleman grows into a thoughtful partner for Cressida.  Cressida moves from being an innocent impulsive girl to be a perfect candidate to be Tristan’s duchess.

Jo Beverley always seems to be telling a story with  some unpleasant sides to it.  Unlike many authors, the characters that she generate are in unpleasant positions.  She make me thankful for woman’s rights and other conveniences that are available to us today.  She does a wonderful job of creating characters you can visualize in your head.  They are three dimensional and you either like them or dislike them, but they appear real and hold true to character.  She does an outstanding job also of creating a villian, as she does in this story.  She also makes us laugh at times, cry at other times, and cheer, as the hero and heroine triumph over the villain.  Yet another great addition to the “Company of Rogues” series.

I love what the reviewer for The Romance Reader had to say about St Raven.  She gave the book 4 out of 5 hearts and said: “Have you ever had this experience? You receive a much-anticipated gift, only to be disappointed because it wasn’t what you hoped for. Then, several hours later, you realize that what you actually received was much better than what you anticipated. That’s how I felt, reading St. Raven.”

St. Raven can be purchased from Amazon

…yet another in the Company of Rogues series as we trip down memory lane!

You may have met Lady Anne Peckworth in FORBIDDEN, being exquisitely polite after being jilted. You may have heard about her in THE DRAGON’S BRIDE, being pitied from afar because another suitor found a woman he truly loved. Anne may have been the perfect lady once, but twice is her limit! Now she’s angry, and to torment her further she has a mysterious, infuriating interloper called Race de Vere to turn her life upside down. And to tempt her to play hazard — with dice, and with her heart.

This book in the “Company of Rogues” series is somewhat unique as it doesn’t tell the story of one of the “Company of Rogues”.  The hero of the story – Race De Vere is not only not one of the Rogues but he was picked on during school times by members of the Rogues.  The heroine of this book – Lady Anne – not only has a clubfoot but has also been jilted twice by Rogues.  Although the ton seems to be somewhat accepting of Lady Anne, she is certainly treated  differently and is obviously slated for a life as a spinster when our story begins.

Lady Anne is at the limit of her ability to be the perfect lady when a visitor to the house torments her.  Race is concerned about Anne and decides to insure that she will be alright in his own way.  He encourages Anne to live life to it’s fullest.  He falls in love with her but has no title, no money, and is beneath her station.  As the story progresses, Anne decides that third time’s the charm and refuses to allow Race to hide his feelings because it’s her time to win.  As was aptly said in another review “Race brings out the best in Anne with his compassionate caring nature.  The story line focuses on the growing love and relationship between these two nice people who merit a lifetime of love together though society dictates otherwise.”  Although the “Company of Rogues” are mentioned in this story, they are not brought in as real characters as they are in other stories in this series.  This one book is set apart as the one where the Rogues don’t save the day.

Again, Jo Beverley attacks difficult subjects and does so with grace.  Anne has clubfoot and the only thing keeping her from being a complete outcast in Regency England is the fact that she is a duke’s daughter.  Race is a man, who although he attended a good school, is an untitled man who lives by his whits.  Race manages to bring out all of the positive aspects of Anne’s personality that no one else seems to see.  The interplay between Race and Anne is skillfully done.  Jo Beverley creates this book that although it is separate from the true series, manages to skillfully fill in a hole in the series – the fiancee that keeps getting dumped.  The man who gets Anne is perfect as this serves as a lesson for the Rogues.  Stay tuned for more Company of Rogues fun!

I can’t resist quoting The Romance Reader’s comment about this book: “This story is for everyone who thought it a little harsh for Lady Anne Peckworth to be passed over by both Viscount Middlethorpe (Forbidden) and the Earl of Wyvern (The Dragon’s Bride). It’s also a gift to those who mourn the day that “historical” Regencies stopped being romances about witty, intelligent characters and turned into crime dramas with Regency costumes and kinky sex.”  This comment made me laugh.  Jo Beverley is certainly not the only author who can write a character driven Regency romance, but she certainly does it well!  Although I think you need the background of the previous Rogues books to follow this particular book, it’s well worth find a copy and reading it!  Enjoy!

Hazard can be purchased from Amazon