Book Review: The Duke of Deceit by Anna Harrington

Anna Harrington's Regency romance The Duke of Deceit, the second installment in her The Dukes of Darkness series, takes time to find the goodness in the main characters, Jessamyn St. Clare and Lucien Grenier, the Duke of Crewe.  Several of the beginning chapters make St. Clare and Grenier far from being inspiring characters.  

St. Clare is exceedingly annoying in her machinations to irritate Grenier by reversing his rakish image to make him appear altruistic in public.  All in an effort to force him into marrying her sister, whom she mistakenly believes impregnated her younger sibling.  Grenier, on the other hand, is equally irritating, insisting on exacerbating his exploits and flaunting them.  

Midway into the story, and it takes that long to see goodness in these two characters, secrets are revealed.  Secrets that the two used as shields to guard themselves from factions of society that would hurt them.  Rendering each other ineffectual to take care of themselves and their loved ones.  

Not until this point do the two characters incite the reader's sympathy.  A desire to see these two tortured souls find absolution and happiness.  St. Clare needing to be free from feeling that she pushed her father away, and Grenier needing to be free from cheating his older brother Phillip of the dukedom.

When the reader feels like there is nothing good to discover from these two characters, continuing further returns with a rewarding resolution, sharing techniques that are applicable to real life troubles.  This is one story where the answers to real life obstructions and dilemmas can be found in a work of fiction.

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Book Review: A Touch of Steele by Cathy Maxwell

A Touch of Steele, Cathy Maxwell's latest installment in her Gambler's Daughters series builds up steadily and perceptively to a clenching climax that keeps the reader on tenterhooks, coming to a satisfying happily-ever-after at its conclusion.  Set in Regency England at the close of the Napoleonic Wars, a gambler's daughter, Gwendolyn Lanscarr and former British soldier and recent shipping mogul, Beckett Steele, find themselves entangled in a dangerous game of family rivalry and survival.

Steele, desiring to find his family after being abandoned in a brothel as a little boy, and Lanscarr, desiring to find a partner in love, a partner to share life's adventures, and a partner whose unwavering loyalty will last her a lifetime, come together with the assistance of destiny's hand but their insecurities keep them apart.  The reader is taken along the couple's journey, watching them wrestle with conflicting emotions and struggle with family members and peers, who put doubts in the couple's minds.  

The duplicity of several characters mirror real life, leaving the audience wondering who is honest and who is not.  Who can the couple trust and who is deceiving them.  Even plotting to kill them.  The reader plays the role of spectator, a voyeur watching the couple's relationship develop, aware of moments when the two may separate forever.

Maxwell does alot of telling of the story, missing the chance to engage the reader emotionally, which keeps the audience outside the story.  Though she will skim over back stories and rush through some scenes, the twists and turns in the story are enough to hold the reader's interest until the end.  Maxwell's novel is a gratifying read that passes the time away quickly when waiting for someone or something.  It's a rewarding down time read.

Book Review: Potions, Poisons, and Peril by Shea MacLeod

Witches, djinns, warlocks, and sorcerers are some of the characters that author Shea MacLeod uses as fodder for her romantic suspense Potions, Poisons, and Peril.  Her story stirs the imagination while holding her reader enthralled.  A suspenseful page turner, definitely.  A thought provoking read, undoubtedly.  A story one will return to and find something new each time through, unquestionably.  

MacLeod's writing style is comfortable, using good natured humor and a modern tone though the main characters are several decades old, even several centuries old like in the case of the hero Noah Laveau, a thaumaturga or sorcerer, described to be relatable to Camelot's Merlin.  The heroine, Emory Chastain is a resilient and resolute witch whose coven of three, she and her friends Veronique (Veri) and Lene are modern day do-gooders.  Each with a past riddled with hardships, trauma and struggles.  MacLeod skillfully projects distinct identities for each character that entertains the reader, as well as making each figure relatable to real life personalities minus their individual paranormal abilities. 

Set in a quaint small town called Deepwood with a cozy commercial main street lined with specialty boutiques and restaurants, life seems mundane until a man comes into Emory's shop and drops dead.  In her assessment, he died from a potent spell designed to control him.  Each page delivers a new surprise as more residents go crazy, irrational, erratic, and violent.  It is Veri's cousin Noah who provides the biggest surprise while he helps Emory untangle the  befuddling events.

Potions, Poisons, and Peril is a delightful read, satisfying the audience's need for a story that entertains as well as stimulates the mind.  Being the first installment in the Deepwood Witches Mysteries, Shea MacLeod whets the readers appetite to want to discover more.

 

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