Proper English—who
needs it? Certainly not Ape, the London urchin who stole my heart in this
gentle historical mystery.
I just love the lingo in this book: "He's all mild and polite, then
turns up damned handy with his fives. That was quite a wisty caster!" Ape
grinned at the memory. "Man of parts, his lordship."
His lordship is Piers,
Lord Petteril, and both he and Ape are delightfully mysterious and unconventional
characters for a Regency-set tale. Together, the two mismatched protagonists
manage to solve a mystery (not murder, but theft) and incidentally discover a
lot about themselves in the process.
This book has wonderful characters and perfectly pitched writing. It's Agatha Christie meets Georgette Heyer.
A missing family heirloom – and one of the family stole it.
In the spring of 1812, Piers Withan is dragged from his beloved Oxford to be the new Viscount Petteril. Burdened by responsibilities he doesn’t want and the remnants of a family who don’t want him, he is saved from an irredeemable mistake by Ape, the small thief burgling his house.
When the family heirloom known as the Petteril Necklace is found to be missing, Piers seeks out his burglar to get it back. However, their search leads them to Piers’s own family – entitled, resentful and largely indebted.…
The ad declared
“Debauching, graphic sex scenes,” and the title involved a vicar. Well, I’ve
never bought a book on the strength of an advertisement before, but this ad copy
intrigued me.
Actually, Melissa and the Vicar turned out to be a very
well-written Regency romance with vivid characters and a delightful English
village setting, in which a London brothel madam convalescing in the country catches
the eye of the angelic village curate.
I loved this tale for its vivid
characters, humour, and twisting plot. Oh, and then there was the debauchery—it’s
definitely there, it’s pretty steamy, but this romance has so much more to
offer beyond sex.
Melissa Griffin is quite literally sick and tired. She's the owner of one of London's most exclusive brothels, but her failing health is telling her she can't continue to keep working at her current pace. A relaxing stay in the country is exactly what she needs. Falling for the small town's gorgeous young vicar--a virgin, no less--was never part of her plan. Their love is scandalous, forbidden...and everything Melissa never knew she wanted. Denying her feelings is unthinkable. Avoiding devastation when her past inevitably drives them apart? Impossible.
Magnus Stanwyck never resented his vow of celibacy...until meeting Melissa. As beautiful…
A friend recommended it as her favourite-ever book. My daughter declared
it “some literary bulls*t” (in the most complimentary way). So how on earth do
I describe The God of Small Things? I love it for its intricate, scattered-pieces-of-a-puzzle
plotting, its vivid and unconventional language (channeled through the minds of
children), and the immersion in a southern Indian culture and setting.
This is
not a page-turning read, but it is beautiful, tragic, and unforgettable.
'They all broke the rules. They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much.'
This is the story of Rahel and Estha, twins growing up among the banana vats and peppercorns of their blind grandmother's factory, and amid scenes of political turbulence in Kerala. Armed only with the innocence of youth, they fashion a childhood in the shade of the wreck that is their family: their lonely, lovely mother, their beloved Uncle Chacko (pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher) and their sworn enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun,…
Yorkshire, 1367.Lady Azalais disguises herself as a minstrel to travel through war-torn France and ransom her father. Her brother plans to marry her to his brutish friend but Azalais, disillusioned with coarse and lustful men, hopes her father will let her become a nun instead.
As an impoverished knight, Sir William must fight for his living unless he can forge a life through his love of song. When offered a mission to protect a talented musician through France, Will seizes the chance to test his dream of becoming a minstrel, a dream that will prevent him from ever marrying.
As their shared passion for music and the dangers of the journey draw them closer together, it becomes increasingly difficult for Azalais to conceal her identity.
