The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

I have seen Georgette Heyer's books so often, I decided to take advantage when I got a chance to review a handful. This was the first one I read by her. It was written in 1934, and takes place during the Georgian Era.
The Convenient Marriage is the story of Horatia Winwood (known as Horry), and her marriage to the Earl of Rule. She marries the Earl after he has proposes to her sister, because she knows that her sister is in love with someone else. But Horry also knows that it is necessary for someone to marry him, as that is the only way to keep her family out of debt. The Earl goes along with this change, because he merely proposed due to the fact that he has come to believe that he needs to settle down. And although she is young, and not very pretty, and has a stutter, Horatia enchants him. They agree to "stay out of each other's way" but Horry seems determined to be outrageous. She gets into a few "scrapes" and tries to keep these a secret from the Earl, but he is determined to win her over and show that he loves her, and she can keep nothing from him.
I found this story rather entertaining, and a fairly quick read. The details that Heyer gives of the time period are very interesting, and show that she knows quite a bit about it. I did not like it as much as I had thought I might, however. Horatia simply annoyed me, and while she started out fine, she seemed to get worse as the book went on. I think I was supposed to find her amusing, but she really just began to wear on me. I liked the Earl of Rule better, but not by much. I think that may have been my main problem with the book - I simply was not really fond of any of the characters. It was funny, and the romance sort of sweet, but I honestly did not really care what happened to the characters as the story went on. I have enjoyed the other Heyer books I have read since then more.
This is my final read for the Romance Reading Challenge. Funny how I managed to finish this one way early - I guess it's a good idea to sign up for year long challenges! I will have a wrap-up post up one of these days. It also qualifies for the New Author Challenge and RYOB 2009.

Royal Blood by Rona Sharon

I am really behind on my reviews right now - I just don't seem to have time to post! So I'm focusing on ARCs for the next couple of reviews, just to make sure I get those done. I may create another sidebar post for books I've read but haven't yet reviewed, like I did last summer. It seems that I slow down the pace of reviewing in the summer, even though I'm not reading any less.
Royal Blood is the story of Michael Devereaux, a young man who is the heir presumptive of the Earl of Tyrone, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The story takes place at the court of Henry VIII, where Michael hopes to make a name for himself, and make his benefactor proud. There he meets Princess Renee, sister to the Queen of France, and daughter of the previous King. She is at the court on a mission of her own, one that is slowly revealed to the reader over time. There is romantic tension between these two main characters, but neither can let their guard down, not while assassins and even vampires are roaming the court. As they each attempt to reach their own goals, they also test each other, never knowing who they can trust.
It took me a while to get into this book, though I can't really say why. There was a lot of story set-up, and I found myself not caring much about the main characters. However, it did pick up around the middle, when the first vampire attack happens, and from there the story was more compelling. I was surprised by the continued revelations - either I was not paying very close attention, or some of the twists really did come out of the blue (I suspect the former). There was a tremendous amount of historical detail, almost too much, as I sometimes did not even know what it was the author was describing to me. Overall, this book would be enjoyable for readers of historical fiction or historical romance, who like a thriller twist.
This book covers a whole bunch of my challenges, so I'll just briefly mention them. For obvious reasons it qualifies for RYOB 2009, the New Author Challenge, and the Pub 2009 Challenge. It also qualifies for the Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge, as it is a Romantic Thriller. And as a romance, I also read it for my fourth book in the Romance Reading Challenge.

Call of the Highland Moon by Kendra Leigh Castle

This book is the first in the series about the MacInnes werewolves, of which I read the most recent book first, Wild Highland Magic. They can be read as stand-alone books, but I could tell that there was definitely a history to these books that I would really enjoy reading, so I picked up the first two.
Call of the Highland Moon is the story of Gideon MacInnes, the next Alpha of his Pack. He has always been the reliable one, but for once he decides to give that up, and he takes off to America (his Pack home is in the Scottish highlands, naturally). There he realizes that he has been followed, by enemies he suspects were sent by his traitorous cousin. After a fierce battle he is left terribly wounded, and shows up on the doorstep of a romance bookstore in a tiny little town in New England. That bookstore is owned by Carly Silver, who takes him in, convincing herself that he is someone's overgrown pet. In the morning she wakes up with this "pet" in her bed, but in his sleep he has turned back into a large naked man. This makes for some very uncomfortable explanations. But Carly and Gideon are drawn to each other, and now Gideon must figure out not only how to protect his Pack from his cousin's treachery, but also how to protect the woman he loves.
I think that my favorite thing about these books is the love stories. The Pack werewolves mate for life, and they know instinctively when they have met that mate, no matter how bad the timing. And of course, the timing is never good. But knowing that the couple is meant to be together adds a level of romance that I love. Castle creates terrific, three-dimensional characters that you would love to have as friends. And the fact that Carly owns a bookstore that caters specifically to romance lovers cracks me up. These books are very funny, with pop-culture references that are just perfect. Really, I love these books, and for paranormal romance lovers, I would recommend them whole-heartedly.
This is the second book that I have read for the Love Bites Reading Challenge, which is all about paranormal romances. It also qualifies for the Romance Reading Challenge.

Wild Highland Magic by Kendra Leigh Castle

Bastian an Morgaine is the last in a line of sorcerers who have been plagued by a curse for the last five generations. Bastian had hoped to be able to rid himself of it, and even though he takes steps to fight the curse, he truly does not have much hope. When he meets Cat, MacInnes werewolf, his life completely changes. Bastian is from the parallel world of Coracin, and Cat is from Earth. Bastian has fled to the MacInnes home in Scotland to recuperate and plan his next move, but his timing is terrible. He is there when all of the far-flung family converges for a reunion, which is what brings Cat, along with her two younger sisters, Poppy and Skye, and her estranged father. Events come to a head as old rivalries are brought up and new dangers surface. And of course there is a good amount of love at first sight (or bite, in this case).
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to - I tend to occasionally judge books by their covers, and this one just seemed too typical. Thankfully though, the story was anything but. I also discovered that it is the third book set in the world the author has created. (The covers for the other two books are disturbingly similar to this one.) While reading this book I did not feel like I missed anything, as Castle does a good job of giving background information, but it was obvious that there was more history to the story. The other characters were clearly important to the author, as were their stories, even though they weren't the main protagonists of this book. The romance was lovely - and it's not just Cat and Bastian that get to fall in love, which was nice. The world as Castle has created it works very well, and I look forward to catching up and reading the other two books in this series now.
This book is great for several challenges, but the two important ones are the Romance Reading Challenge and the Love Bites Reading Challenge. The Romance Reading Challenge is pretty self-explanatory. The Love Bites Reading Challenge is similar, but involves paranormal romance. After reading this book, I decided that for the rest of the challenge I am going to read the previous two books in this series. Because this book will be released in May of this year, it is part of the Pub 2009 Challenge. And I am also using it for RYOB 2009 and the New Author Challenge.

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark by Donna Lea Simpson

Lady Anne Addison arrives late one night to the Darkefell estate, on a mission to see her recently married friend who has sent her frantic letters demanding she come. But when Anne arrives, she discovers that no one is available to escort her to the manor, and she must travel up the road in the dark, by herself. On her way she hears a blood-curdling howl, and then screaming, followed by groans of pain. She follows the sound, intending to help the woman whose scream she heard, and instead finds her dead body. She does make it safely to the estate to report the death, but after this welcome she wonders what the rest of her stay has in store for her.
Lady Anne's friend, the Lady Lydia Bestwick, married to the younger brother of the Lord of Darkefell, has apparently not told anyone that Anne is to be expected, and no one knows quite what to make of her. She is not a typically feminine woman, and being plain-looking and independantly wealthy, she has decided she has no need of marriage or men. She finds herself rather ridiculously attracted to Lord Anthony, the marquess of Darkefell, and he is typically arrogant and gruff, with smoldering good-looks, as many heroes are. Anne is determined to find out what killed the girl that she found, and she is equally determined to not believe in any of the stories of werewolves that the locals insist are real. Lord Darkefell is determined to keep his family's secrets safely hidden from the destructively inquisitive Lady Anne, at the same time as finding himself strangely attracted to her. They are continually at odds with each other as they both try to solve the mystery of the maid's death.
This was a rather entertaining read, although disappointing in some respects. The mystery itself is not very well written, and resolved a bit too quickly at the end. The romance that obviously develops between Lord Darkefell and Lady Anne is well done, but left unfinished, I suppose to set it up for a sequel. Lady Anne's character is entertaining, as is Lord Darkefell's, while most of the rest of the characters are necessary stereotypes. A few exceptions are there of course - Lord Darkefell's secretary, a rescued slave, is an interesting addition, and Lady Anne's cat, Irusan, adds humor and depth to her character. Overall this book was a fun, quick read.
This is the first book for my participation in the Romance Reading Challenge. I only need to read five, and I have that many in the stacks of books waiting to be read, so I think it will work out! This book also qualifies for the RYOB Challenge and New Author Challenge.