29 May 2008
So, this is what I think
Posted by rdsolange under: recommendations .
I think that I’m done with traveling for a while. Or, at least until the next trip. HA! I seriously did the whole planes, trains and automobiles this vacation, which was an experience.
Of course, I did a lot of reading as well. I’m not going to bore you with all of them, but I will point out two books everyone should put on their ‘to be read’ list.
Resenting the Hero by Moira J Moore
In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the bonded Pairs–Source and Shield–make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. But can Dunleavy Mallorough and Lord Shintaro Karish put aside their differences to defeat something even more unnatural than their reluctant affections for each other?
The thing that struck me with this story was the equal opportunity sexing that was going on. The “hero” was quite happy to flirt and cavort with both sexes equally. This isn’t so much a romance as a strong plot driven story with a bit of romance thrown in. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Phyllida and the Brotherhood of the Philander by Ann Herendeen
In this debut novel, librarian Herendeen creates a quirky and comic Regency romance in which Phyllida Lewis, a young, beautiful and feisty writer, agrees to a marriage of convenience with Andrew Carrington, the gay heir to an earldom. Although Phyllida is attracted to her good-looking husband, she recognizes that Andrew prefers the company of his friends in the Brotherhood of Philander, an elite “gentleman’s” club. What Phyllida hadn’t counted on, however, was the physical connection between the two despite his averred status, and the concomitant difficulties that arise when a man is clueless in the ways of wooing and pleasing a woman. Phyllida expresses her newfound carnal knowledge in her role as a budding writer of “inferior romance” and finds she must learn the ways of London society while being the object of relentless observation and gossip. Much time is devoted to Andrew and his exploits with other men as well as to Phyllida’s love-hate relationship with Andrew and his way of life. But when Phyllida breaches Andrew’s trust, the delightful characters in Phyllida’s new world must play a part in reconciling the pair.
Oh, how did I love this book… let me count the ways. Regency romance coupled with homosexuality was perfectly melded together. The just on the edge erotica of the writing.The fleshed out characters, the winding and nicely thought out plot. It was all just perfect for me.
My biggest wish is that Ann Herendeen has another book (or twenty) just like this in her, because this is the type of story that makes my fingers itch to write.
Go! Buy the books!!
