Today’s Steals and Deals at AAR…..

We loved this one! It’s James at her effervescent best!

 

By the standards of Georgian England, Lord Alaric Wilde is a celebrity. His books detailing his world travels sell gazillions of copies, prints of his escapades (real and imagined) do a brisk business, women all but swoon at the thought of him, and there’s even a popular play in his honor. One gets the rapid impression that it would be impossible to live in England and not know of his fame.

However, Alaric has not been in London. When he returns after years of travels abroad, he finds himself both surprised and horrified by his fame. Far from courting the spotlight, he just wants to hide out at Lindow Castle, the family home. When he arrives home in time for the house party celebrating the betrothal of his older brother, he meets one of the few women in England unimpressed by his fame – and finds himself intrigued.

Wilhelmina (Willa) Ffynche could not care less about the famous adventurer, Alaric Wilde, and in fact she suspects his books are filled with exaggerations or outright fabrication. However, her dear friend Lavinia has a huge celebrity crush on the man, which makes for some fun conversations between the two. Willa meets Alaric at the Lindow Castle house party and immediately proclaims herself unimpressed. Thankfully for readers, her first impression is not the last word on the subject.

If you enjoy witty repartee, you will likely find plenty to love in Wilde in Love. Not only do the characters engage in it but I often felt like the author was throwing in witty asides for readers as well, from the clever references in the titles of Wilde’s books (Wilde Sargasso Sea, anyone?) to her descriptions of the portraits of Wilde traded amongst his fans. It’s great fun.

 

It’s on sale at Amazon for 1.99 here.


This too is a DIK at AAR. 

 

Kathleen is the widow of the late Earl of Ravenel, whose cousin Devon has now inherited the title. Along with it, Devon has inherited a large, virtually bankrupt estate with no visible means of sustenance, much less enduring profitability. He burns his bridges with Kathleen upon his arrival.

“Who will care if the earldom goes extinct?” Devon said.

“The servants and tenants might object to losing their incomes and home,” West said dryly.

“They can all go hang, I’ll tell you what’s to be done: First I’ll send Theo’s widow and sisters packing; they’re of no use to me. Then I’ll find a way to break the entailment, split the estate apart, and sell it piecemeal. If that’s not possible, I’ll strip the house of everything valuable, tear it down, and sell the stone….”

Ouch! Way to make yourself into a damn-your-eyes villain, right? As I read along, I thought this theme would develop more and sustain more of the tension between him and Kathleen. After all, reconciling yourself to such bad luck is tough. However, Devon has one scene where he consoles Kathleen out of her sorrow and guilt over her husband’s death, becomes very interested in her, and does a U-turn on his feelings about the estate. All in a short amount of time.

Likewise, Devon’s brother West undergoes an abrupt transformation from drunken devil-may-care sot to earnest, hardworking, lovable young man. One sharp exchange with Kathleen and he turns in his rakehell card. Such fast turnarounds of long-standing patterns of thoughts and behaviors have a discombobulating effect on me and stretch my ability to suspend my disbelief. But I forgive Kleypas much, because she delivers on the emotional guts of a story.

 

Buy it at Amazon for 1.99 here.


Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh

This was Eva Leigh’s historical romance debut and it’s a winner. 

 

Eleanor Hawke, editor and proprietor of The Hawk’s Eye, a modestly successful periodical devoted to exposing the foibles of the rich and infamous, is surprised when completely out of the blue, one of her most recent targets, the rakish – and, she has to admit, gorgeous – Earl of Ashford storms into her office. He angrily insists that she stop printing lies about him, even going so far as to suggest that her readers might like to read actual news rather than “spurious gossip about a figure as inconsequential as myself.”

But Daniel Balfour has more at stake than simply putting a stop to gossip. For weeks, he has been trying to discover the whereabouts of his oldest friend, Jonathan Lawson, who disappeared into London’s underbelly before learning that the death of his brother had elevated him to a dukedom. Lawson, unlike Daniel, had been able to serve in the army during the recent war, but returned from it a changed man. All Daniel has to go on is that shortly before his disappearance, Jonathan had been seen in the worst sort of company in the less salubrious areas of London – and knows that should news of it ever leak out, it will ruin him, his family and his sister’s chance of making a good marriage. As Jonathan’s closest friend, Daniel can’t allow that to happen and besides, he feels partially responsible for the situation, having noticed something wasn’t right with his friend and not having taken any steps to help him.

Realising that having his every move scrutinised so closely could jepoardise his search and increase the risk to the Lawson family, Daniel decides to turn the gaze of The Hawk’s Eye elsewhere, by offering to open up his life to public scrutiny within its pages. He offers Eleanor the chance to write the truth about him; where he goes, what he does and who he sees, the life of one of the ton’s most infamous rakes setout in black and while for all the world to see.

While not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Eleanor knows there is more to Ashford’s offer than meets the eye. Reasoning that as long as they’re using each other, she decides she might as well take him up on it, even as she stamps down on the thought that her motives for getting close to the earl might not all be to do with her wish to increase sales.

 

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.


This got a strong B+ recommendation from our reviewer.

 

A young woman is dropped behind enemy lines where she faces unspeakable dangers and unexpected love in The Secret Agent.

Sylvie Duchene lived in France till she was fourteen, travelling with her mother’s dance troupe  and thoroughly enjoying the bohemian lifestyle Angelique provided for them. Her own intention had been to join the performers once she was old enough but her mother’s death changes all her plans. Sylvie relocates to England to be with her father, where she becomes Sylvia Crichton, a mature, responsible, respectable young lady. At least on the surface.

When the opportunity comes for her to train in espionage and return to her Nazi-occupied  homeland, she jumps at the chance to fight to free her people. The training for the experience is intense but exhilarating and Sylvie is excited as she lands in France under the cover of darkness, and then completes a complicated, clandestine journey to Nantes. But things go wrong once she reaches the city. Her contact fails to meet her and she spends anxious hours wondering what to do next. Eventually, with no way to know friend from foe, she heads to her final destination, the nightclub Mirabelle, where she had been told there would be a position for her as a dancer.

There is a spot open but because she has no idea how or to whom she should identify herself as an agent, she has to audition for the job. Fortunately, her skills are strong enough that she receives probationary employment and starts her new life entertaining the German clientele and hopefully, learning their secrets. But the position is fraught with peril; Felix, the pianist at the club, offers her the code phrase her contact had been meant to give her but he looks nothing like the person she was to meet. Is he a German spy who acquired the information by force or is he what he claims to be, a friend of the guy who should have met her and who is taking his place? Every decision, every movement will be a dance with danger as Sylvie works to save the country she loves from the vicious predators who have claimed it.

One of the best things about this novel is how the espionage portion of the tale is handled. I will try not to rhapsodize too much over this issue but I’ve read a string of books where the Nazis would have had to be bumbling fools to not immediately spot the ‘secret agents’ working in their cities.  Not in this case. Sylvie is perfect for her role – a well-trained dancer, a native French speaker and someone who is familiar with both the world she is entering and the territory in which she is placed. She is quick witted and suspicious – excellent traits for someone who would have to outsmart the enemy. Her entire circuit is made up of similar people, which makes them all feel very believable and realistic. The way they pass information, choose targets, behave in unexpected circumstances – all of it is exquisitely true to life

 

It’s at Amazon for 0.99 here.


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