Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

From the creator of the hit webcomic My Life As a Background Slytherin comes a hilarious graphic novel pastiche of classic Romantic literature led by a trio of

queer misfits—and several angry vampires.
Set in early nineteenth-century Britain, Bloodlust & Bonnets follows Lucy, an unworldly debutante who desires a life of passion and intrigue—qualities which earn her the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a local vampire cult.
 But before Lucy can embark on her new life of vampiric debauchery, she finds herself unexpectedly thrown together with the flamboyant poet Lord Byron (“from books!”) and a mysterious bounty-hunter named Sham. The unlikely trio lie, flirt, fight, and manipulate each other as they make their way across Britain, disrupting society balls, slaying vampires, and making every effort not to betray their feelings to each other as their personal and romantic lives become increasingly entangled.

I spied this graphic novel whilst walking through the library and was immediately drawn to it. In the initial flip-through, the third page opens with the heroine Lucy declaring to the group of men approaching her ‘Gentlemen, I do hope you like honey, for I have a bee in my bonnet’ while removing said chapeau and charging towards them with upraised sword.

I was hooked. 

The book follows Lucy’s battlefield meeting of Lord Byron, their journey to his magical castle (in Scotland), and encountering the bounty-hunter Sham (who perhaps has a secret agenda). The trio travels through woods, ballrooms, baths, Bath, wine cellars, and gentlemen’s clubs as they pursue the vampiric Lady Violet Travesty.

With a distinctive art style and biting (ha) wit, B&B is a both a love letter to and parody of the Romantic literature genre. I absolutely adored this book. At the moment I’m trying to minimize physical books coming into my possession, due to a lack of shelf space. Upon finishing it, I immediately put B&B on my wish list and strongly hinted to my husband that he should purchase it for my upcoming birthday. 

Also, in the course of researching this review, I discovered that the real Lord Byron really did use curling papers in his hair at night. 

You can find Bloodlust & Bonnets in the graphic novel section under the author's last name McGovern

In the Shadow of Croft Towers by Abigail Wilson

From the publisher: from debut author Abigail Wilson comes a shadowy Regency tale of secrets and spies, love and treachery.

In the Shadow of Croft Towers is an atmospheric historical novel set in England in the early 1800s. Orphaned Sybil has been educated by an unknown benefactor and receives a mysterious letter that leads her to accept a position at the secluded manor known as Croft Towers. On the way there the coach is stopped by highwaymen, who seem less interested in the riches of the passengers than in the passengers themselves.

Upon arrival, Sybil meets the other inhabitants of Croft Towers and realizes one of them, her new employer's godson, was one  of the highwaymen. She keeps his secret and is slowly pulled into the intrigue that surrounds Croft Towers and those who live there.

In the Shadow of Croft Towers is predictable but a fun read, with secrets upon secrets and lies upon lies. If you are a fan of books like Rebecca and The Woman in White, you may enjoy this novel.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley. The book is scheduled to be published on January 15, 2019 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library as a print book and as an ebook.

The Bride Behind the Curtain: Regency Makeover Part I by Darcie Wilde

From the publisher: Adele Endicott has always been considered too plump and too awkward for the fashionable world. But the girl has a discerning eye for fashion, filling notebooks with designs for beautiful dresses. She also has an eye for the dashing son of French expatriates, James Beauclaire. With a little help from her friends, and a talented modiste's assistant, Adele's gowns take society by storm and she begins a secret flirtation with James, who finds himself torn between family loyalties and true love. But as all Adele’s impossible dreams begin to come true, can she resist the temptations of a world suddenly throwing itself at her feet?

A fluffy little Regency novella, as lightweight as a meringue and as easy to devour.

I didn’t like that the heroine had to lose weight in order to complete her transformation from dumpling to darling, but I did like that for once it was the older sister who was plain, shy, and insecure, rather than the younger sister. I also love the opening line: “Our story begins, as the best often do, in a library.”

Both the hero and the heroine were likable enough, and the author has a deft humorous touch. “What was Marcus doing out there? Probably looming. Marcus looming was a famously disconcerting sight. ‘You’re trying to intimidate me,’ Lady Helene went on, confirming Adele’s suspicions of looming behavior.” (p. 11 of the digital advance reader copy)

There is nothing particularly noteworthy about The Bride Behind the Curtain, but I needed a quick diverting read and it filled that need.

I read a digital advance reader copy of The Bride Behind the Curtain. It will be published on March 15 and will be available as an ebook through the Galesburg Public Library. 

Death Comes to Kurland Hall by Catherine Lloyd

Death Comes to Kurland Hall is the third book in a Regency romance-mystery series. I very much enjoyed the first two books. The third is not quite as good but still kept my attention. 

The tame Austen-like romance is more front and center than the mystery, and the language and behavior are probably too modern for a purist. For example, Lucy Harrington, the rector's daughter, thinks mildly about the fact that her father is sleeping with his cook, and the servants are insolent and familiar. The modern language and behavior can be jarring.

Lucy and Major Kurland have a Beatrice and Benedick-like relationship, which is sometimes taken to extreme lengths. While an extremely unlikeable woman lays dead at the bottom of the stairs at Kurland Hall, Major Kurland and Miss Harrington bicker over the body before calling for help.

The dialog is sometimes quite repetitive, and a red herring regarding the identity of the murder was too red. It was easy for me to see the person was not the murderer. I guessed the identity of the murderer early and found the person's motivation and behavior not in character with the person as presented and developed by the author.

The romance is sweet and satisfying for lovers of proper romance, but the resolution of the mystery was not believable. Still, I will read the next book in the series and hope it returns to the level of the first two.

I recommend Death Comes to Kurland Hall for those interested in the continuing relationship between Major Kurland and Lucy Harrington. The first book in the series is Death Comes to the Village. The first two books are available at the Galesburg Public Library, and the third will be when it is published in late November.

I read an advance reader copy of Death Comes to Kurland Hall.

A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack

A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack is a lovely novel that caught me off guard. It’s the latest “proper romance” from Shadow Mountain publishing.  “This new brand of ‘proper’ romance allows readers to enjoy romance at its very best—and at its cleanest—portraying everything they love about a passionate, romantic novel, without busting corsets or bed scenes,” according to www.shadowmountain.com.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Heart Revealed. Although it is a romance, even more it is a coming-of-age story. Amber Sterlington is the Rage of the Season in Regency London. When Thomas Richards first sees her, he is physically attracted to her. There is nothing about Amber that is attractive except her physical beauty. She is shallow, haughty, dismissive, and thoroughly unlikeable. Thomas is not only a third son, he is from the country, so while he is of Amber’s class, she would never give him a second look. Indeed, the second time she meets him, she doesn’t recall having been introduced and snubs him mercilessly and publicly.

But Amber is about to get her comeuppance in thorough fashion. She has a rare disorder that causes her to lose her hair. Her family banishes her to a rustic cottage in the country with only a maid for company and assistance. Fortunately for Amber, Thomas lives nearby, and while Amber lives in isolation under a false name, a chance errand brings Amber to his attention.

This book is mostly about Amber becoming a better person while dealing with a disability and personal challenges. There is very little interaction between Amber and Thomas until the second half of the novel. I would have liked more scenes with the two of them and more of Thomas by himself. Thomas is a fine, admirable gentleman who does not let society dictate his behavior. Once love comes between them, it happens very quickly, but that’s not unusual in romance novels. And I thoroughly enjoyed Amber’s changing relationship with her maid Suzanne and growing awareness of her own flawed character.

There were some parts of the book that struck me as not true to the times, but I’m not a Regency purist so they didn’t bother me too much. The book did get a little draggy about one third of the way in, but once it picked up I really flew through to the end.  So often a romance heroine is so beautiful and perfect it’s hard to relate to her. This book features a main character who struggles with a disorder 200 years ago that would be difficult to deal with even today.

This book is a stellar example of its type. If you enjoy a well-written coming-of-age story with good character development and a little romance thrown in, I strongly recommend it. If your focus is on the romance and lots of it, this book may not be your cup of tea.

I read an advance reader copy from netgalley.com. A Heart Revealed will be published on April 7. If you looking for a book to read while you are waiting, the Galesburg Public Library owns two other “proper romance” novels, Edenbrooke and Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson.  

Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith is a “modern retelling” of Jane Austen’s classic novel. It is part of the Austen Project, which pairs six contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works. Joanna Trollope reimagined Sense & Sensibility, and Val McDermid reworked Northanger Abbey. Emma is the third project book to be finished. 

Emma is my fourth favorite novel by Jane Austen but the first Austen Project book I’ve read. Emma is fairly unlikeable for most of the original novel, and she is in McCall Smith’s version as well. McCall Smith captures the overall feel of the original quite well. It is set in today’s England but retains Austen’s gentle and refined tone from 1815 Regency England. Emma interferes, matchmaking with abandon, creating one successful pairing but upsetting others. The characters from Emma are all here – fretful Mr. Woodhouse, wise Miss Taylor, secretive Frank Churchill, talkative Miss Bates. And of course, Mr. Knightley – the perfect gentleman.

Reading this version of Emma felt both familiar and unfamiliar. I disagreed with a few of McCall Smith’s modern plot points (like Emma wanting to paint Harriet Smith in the nude), but spending time with his version was definitely like visiting with an old friend. If you are looking for a novel that fondly reminds you of how much you love Jane Austen, I recommend McCall Smith’s Emma. If you are purist who can’t imagine her characters in modern times or the hands of another writer, I recommend rereading Austen instead.

I read an advance reader copy of Emma. It is scheduled to be published in April 2015.