Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

In this fourth book in the Roxton series - Dair Devil - Lucinda Brant continues the saga of the Roxton family and delights her fans with another passionate romance, the story of Alisdair ‘Dair’ Fitzstuart and Aurora ‘Rory’ Talbot, granddaughter of Lord Shrewsbury, England’s Spy Master General. Set in the 1770s, the story encompasses politics and intrigue, both at home and abroad, and also the secrets and lies a great and powerful family perhaps needs to conceal. Dair Fitzstuart has justifiably earned his nickname ‘Dair Devil’ because, to all concerned, he appears to be the epitome of a reprobate and a womanizing scoundrel. Amazingly, he has emerged unscathed from his exploits on the battlefield and his exploits in society keep tongues wagging incessantly. With a history of past mistresses, he is the most unlikely person to find Aurora attractive. She is unmarried, and despite her fair, understated charms, she has neither the ravishing beauty nor great fortune that would more than make up for her physical deformity, a twisted foot. Their first meeting is particularly inauspicious. A prank that Dair engages in to help a friend win the affections of a lady goes disastrously and scandalously wrong. Against a background of military espionage, unrest in the colonies, hints of treason and double crossing, this seemingly doomed romance blossoms. But trouble looms and various people are not too pleased with the idea of a union between Dair and Rory.

What a sensuous read, with Dair himself oozing sex appeal on every page. One word that epitomizes this book is passion: the passion and tumult of the times in which the Roxtons live; the passion of love, and also the passion of ambition, both thwarted and realized. From the elegant swish of satin skirts to the flutter of a flirtatious fan, readers will be transported into a world of vivid detail, and will emerge knowing more than they could ever have imagined about this colorful and vibrant era. The author takes readers right into the heart of this wonderful romance, and they will experience each heartbeat and thrilling moment as Dair and Rory discover and explore their love. There are also brilliantly drawn lesser characters, with their pettiness, spite and narrow-mindedness, as well as others altogether much more appealing. Readers who have been avidly following the Roxton series will be delighted to pick up on clues from previous books. Ms. Brant has a gift for intertwining those threads into a constantly developing tapestry. This series has created a superb niche readership of the Georgian era. I have read all the books from Book One, so it was a delight to connect with familiar characters. For readers coming new to this series, I would recommend starting at the beginning, although the author’s skill in weaving in back story means this book can be read as a stand-alone. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

It is the golden age of French aristocratic life, the glittering court of Louis XV. Beneath the posturing and hedonism lies a seething hotbed of intrigue, deceit, and treachery. Sex, lies, and politics go hand in hand, and courting royal patronage is the ultimate prize. Into this licentious arena comes Antonia Moran, an innocent young woman, whose lack of protection makes her a prime target for the dissolute Comte de Salvan. He eyes this particular prize as a wife for his son, whom some say is mad. The Comte’s failing fortunes need a financial boost, and Antonia comes with an inheritance from her ailing grandfather. Anxious to see his granddaughter safely wed, the old man agrees to this unsuitable match. Moreover, unsuitable it is, since the Comte has designs on both Antonia’s impending fortune and her virtue.

Antonia may be innocent but she is not stupid. She cleverly allies herself with the Duke of Roxton, the ‘noble satyr’ of the title, whose tastes do not run to young girls. Roxton has no time for Antonia until the Comte forces his hand by attempting a violent abduction. To save Antonia, Roxton must take her to England, to the safety of his home. He is much older but she does not care. Her unabashed expressions of love for him slowly melt his icy demeanour. The inevitable happens, and it is not without consequences. The Comte, who nurses an old grudge against Roxton, will not give up and pursues his plan to the end. Can Antonia and Roxton’s love survive? And will it ultimately endure in the face of royal censure?

Anyone familiar with Lucinda Brant’s Georgian novels will relish this book. Brant has the ability to transport the reader back in time, to a bygone era, without swamping the story with facts. The characters live and breathe the atmosphere of the time; they are captivating, from the primary players, right down to the smaller, but no less important characters. Ultimately, this is an enchanting and powerful love story between two people, Antonia and Roxton, who have all the odds stacked against them. I thoroughly enjoyed the unfolding of this passionate romance, with added action and adventure, derring-do, and some narrow escapes! For readers who like intricate detail there is a wealth of carefully chosen gems to enhance the picture. Everything the author describes enhances the reader’s enjoyment of a truly historical romance. I loved it. This is the first book in the Roxton series. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Brant Samson lost his wife and needed a mom for his three children, and there certainly wasn’t anyone in the small town of Two Rivers, Texas, that he was willing to marry, much less take care of his children, so he desperately decides to place an ad for a mail order bride. Abigail Vaughn is alone now since her parents both passed away, having only the students she teaches. But being no longer tied to Philadelphia, she decides to answer an add in the paper for a mail order bride. She makes sure she is straightforward though, not wanting any secrets about what and why she is coming. And to make sure she knows what she is getting into, Brant is straightforward himself, and I love it where he tells her why the marriage and just what to expect. Which woman would come to him after what he said? I guess Abigail didn't mind.

Author Verna Clay has written an interesting and intriguing story about Brant and Abby. With unique, believable characters who develop so well, I couldn’t put this book down until the last word. I loved everything about them including the meeting of Brant and Abby, the family and Abby getting to know each other, and both the happy and difficult times. If you enjoy a good historical romance, this story of true unconditional love is the one for you. With the twists and turns in the story to keep your interest, you will not be disappointed. Just have a tissue ready because you will definitely need it as you go forward!

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

Salt Redux is the second book in the Salt Hendon series, following on the loves and lives of the Earl of Salt Hendon and his Countess, the beautiful Jane. In the four years since their marriage, much has happened. Love and three children later, they think that happiness eternal is theirs and nothing can destroy their idyllic life. The earl’s cousin, Sir Antony Templestowe, has endured four years of exile in Russia, in the guise of a diplomatic posting. Battling with his addictions, he has come to terms with himself, and his undying love for the earl’s sister, Lady Caroline. Lady Diana St. John, the earl’s nemesis, and a murderess, has been carefully incarcerated in a remote castle in Wales as the only way to prevent her previous sins from being discovered by society, and to prevent her from committing further wickedness. This is possible because Lady Diana is, unfortunately, quite mad. She is obsessed with becoming the true Countess of Salt Hendon, and dislodging the woman she considers the usurper to her title, that is Jane. She has had four years of careful scheming and preparation. Once she escapes imprisonment by pure Machiavellian ingenuity and diabolical plotting, Diana arrives back in their lives with plans of her own, plans that include death and destruction. Will she succeed, and will happiness and love be restored or ruined?

Lucinda Brant never fails to please readers of historical romance with her lavish portrayal of her niche arena: the Georgian era. Such are the minute and careful details that the era itself becomes almost like a character in the book. However, the characters themselves tug at the heartstrings with their intense feelings: love, anguish, desire, and drama abound as various sub-plots play out in a background to the main story. The richness of the prose and the attention to all that drives the story make this a wonderful read. Tension mounts as Lady Diana proceeds with her plot to unseat Jane. The story is multi-layered and threads from the past are seamlessly woven into current events. Salt Bride was the first Lucinda Brant book I reviewed and I loved it. What a pleasure to revisit ‘old friends’ in this sequel. Although readers can enjoy the book as a stand-alone, I would recommend their reading Salt Bride first to fully appreciate the poignant aspect of the earl and his bride’s love story from the start. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

"Midnight Marriage" continues the saga of the Roxton family, which began with "Noble Satyr" (recently reviewed). Antonia and Roxton’s son, Julian, is wayward and headstrong, to the point where his father, fearing he will either make a disastrous marriage or litter the country with illegitimate by-blows, arranges a match between the youthful Julian and Deborah Cavendish. Deborah has no recollection of her midnight marriage at the age of twelve to a weeping, bellicose teenager. Julian is sent to the Continent to improve his ways, while Deborah continues her life. She proves to have an equally headstrong nature, to the despair of her older brother, Gerald, who has hopes of seeing her settle down in a respectable union with Julian in the future. When Deborah finds an injured duelist in the forest near her home, she has no idea who the handsome stranger might be, let alone that she is his wife. When Julian discovers her identity, he makes haste to propose and whisk her off into married life. But Julian’s chequered past and reputation as a libertine catches up with him, in the form of a lawsuit brought by an irate French father, accusing Julian of seducing his daughter. Deborah also finds out that she is married to the degenerate Marquis of Alston, and if that is so, then what will happen to the love for Julian Hesham whom she adores? Can she reconcile her feelings for the man she loves with her contempt for the man she married?

Another gem from Lucinda Brant’s pen takes readers back into the loves and lives of the Roxtons and to the Georgian era. The plot is intriguing as hints of dark secrets and strange motives gradually unfold. People with both personal and political motives in engineering this match (or sabotaging it) surround Deborah. Whom can she trust? The energy in this novel starts on page one with a mysterious midnight marriage that sets the tone and pace. The action continues and never lets up. Brant isn’t afraid to subject her heroine to a tumultuous roller-coaster of events, and feisty Deborah is up to it! The love story between Julian and Deborah is tender, and filled with the kind of blunders young people make when setting out on the rocky road of true love. Nice twists and turns, dramatic revelations, and some enjoyable chaos make this a book that keeps the reader turning the pages. They will not be disappointed. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

"A Gentleman and a Rogue" by Stephanie Burkhart is a delightful historical romance. Edmund Windsor and his cousin Alice, along with Jonas Byron, return to 2011 and realize that the world is powered by gasoline and electricity instead of the better choice of compressed natural gas. They use a time machine to travel back again to 1855 in an effort to set the time line right. They are faced with romantic, ethical and practical matters as they try to influence the final decision Queen Victoria will make concerning the fuel of the future. Edmund once again meets the love of his life Keira. Keira is afraid to love Edmund and lose him once again to time travel. She spends most of her time working on a combustible natural gas engine to present to the Queen, while trying hard not to think of her love for Edmund. We find Jonas helping Keira’s father build a windmill. Alice is there for her ideas on how to influence the Queen’s decision, even if it means sabotaging all of the presentations but Keira’s. Richard, Edmond’s brother, is sent through the time machine to bring home those who belong in 2011. While in 1855 he also finds his true love and has many decisions to make.

"A Gentleman and a Rogue" is a good read. Stephanie Burkhardt transports us to Victorian England and as we read we wish we could stay there just a little longer. I was hooked in it and did not want it to end. "A Gentleman and a Rogue" is the second in a series. I did not read the first book but Burkhardt gives just enough information for me to understand what I had missed. I will definitely be reading book three. All of you romantic historical fans don’t miss this one – it is a winner.

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

"Lily of the Springs" by Carole Bellacera transports us back to the 1950s and 1960s with strong reminders of the morals, music, love and turbulence of the times. Lily lives in a small Kentucky town with her very strict Southern Baptist parents. Jake is the son of the trouble making Tatlow family. Jake and Lily have had a special bond since they were kids playing in the woods even though her daddy has told her to stay away from him. Lily has a fight with Chad, her high school boyfriend, and secretly turns to Jake for comfort. One night they go too far in the back seat of Jake’s Plymouth and Lily soon finds out she is pregnant. An un-wed mom in 1950 is really BAD so Jake is forced to marry Lily against his wishes. Lily believes their love and the upcoming birth of the baby will make everything right. She works very hard at learning to be what she thinks is the perfect wife. Jake doesn’t have to work at all to be the immature, drunken, moody, mean husband. The reader quickly becomes a supporter of Lily and feels compassion and sadness for all that Jake can have and is missing. They slowly work out some of their problems and others will always remain.

"Lily of the Springs" is a love story that is very real and very believable. Carole Bellacera has written a book that is hard to put down. I was hooked from page one until the startling ending. If you are a baby boomer and were part of the “Happy Days” you will be transported back, but all women will see something special in this book. "Lily of the Springs" is a five star success that could easily be made into an award winning great movie. I found myself emotionally attached to all of the characters and being pulled further and further into their lives. Carole Bellacera has been added to my favorite authors list.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

It is those years just before the American Civil War and James Buchanan is President. Twenty-eight year old Fletcher Stedman is returning to his family's estate in Crisfield, Virginia, and he is going home angry and looking for justice as ten years before he was attacked and badly wounded by thugs hired by his cousin Buck Bannistre. Fletcher was kept for most of those ten years in an asylum where he was tortured and beaten. Going now by the name of Zachary Brown, Fletcher suffers from horrendous headaches and nightmares and is beginning to recall what happened on the night ten years before when he was savagely beaten, and his neck and face sliced severely. What he recalls is that his childhood love, Kyndee (Katharine) Brocke, may have betrayed him. Fletcher stays with his childhood friend Caleb Jenkins as he attempts to find out what really happened on that long ago night and how he can regain his home and his love, Kyndee.

"Season of The Shadow" is a long but well-written and well-edited story of a man, Fletcher Stedman, who has his home, his life, and almost his life taken away from him. Fletcher, Kyndee, Fletcher's mother, Buck Bannistre, and Fletcher's friends Sage Jurrell and Caleb Jenkins are all totally believable characters who are true to those long-ago times. Buck claims Kyndee as his property once they are married and that is just the way it was back then, long before women's liberation. Kyndee fights back but in just the way a women would back in the 1850's. The plot follows a long path to the story's ending where true love survives and all the bad guys get their just deserts. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy Fletcher's book "Season of The Shadow."

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

Antonia, Dowager Duchess of Roxton, has been in mourning for three years for her beloved dead husband and soul mate. Antonia has lost the man who meant everything to her and it appears she no longer has any enjoyment in life. That is until Jonathon Strang, a larger-than-life, forceful character, bursts into her life like a hurricane, and turns it upside down. Although Antonia is easily ten years older than he is, her amazing beauty and enchanting aura soon have him captivated. Jonathon began life as the second son of an impoverished second son. However, by virtue of hard work and good fortune in the colonies, coupled with several family deaths that have put him in line for a title, Jonathon is very eligible indeed. He also has links with the Roxton family that he wishes to pursue, namely, the illegal misappropriation of property that rightfully is his. One of these properties can only be signed over to him by Antonia herself.

Antonia is initially repelled by the buccaneer: a man whose casual manners are almost insulting in a society obsessed with the niceties of conduct. His blunt approach, his sharp brain, his sense of humor and finally his blatant adoration serve to break down her icy disdain. Set in 1777, in Georgian England, against a backdrop of the imminent French Revolution and the American War of Independence, this compelling love story will appeal to romantics of all ages.

I recently reviewed "Salt Bride" by the same author and was keen to revisit Georgian England. Lucinda Brant has carved a niche for herself in this particular patch of history and she is gifted in weaving both story and history into a compelling read. Passion is the keynote of this novel: abundantly clear in the passion of the main characters, the robust energy of the age, and the pulse of action that creates an energetic and well-paced novel. The author has a wonderful turn of phrase, creating a sense of the opulence and oftentimes excessive luxuriance of the era. Food, drink, clothing, entertainment, and appetites are all described in glowing detail in an era that celebrated abundance and sensual gratification. Although this is the third book in a series, and readers would derive even greater enjoyment by reading the first two as well, this story can stand alone with enough back history threaded through to keep readers in touch with prior events. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

Into The Lions Heart by Beth Trissel is a historical romance novelette that is sure to delight the fancy of those who read this genre. The story revolves around three main characters: Captain Dalton Evans; his best friend, Thomas Archer; and Dalton's distant cousin, Sophia Devereux (aka Cecile), who is supposedly fleeing France in the middle of upheavals. Arriving in Dover to pick up his charge, with the sea’s rolling, the boat is spotted and he manages to get to her before she is thrown overboard. Rescuing the damsel in distress proves to be a chore in itself. As their feet once again hit dry land, there is something suspicious and right away Dalton and Tom both pick up on it. This could not be Sophia; it had to be an imposter, but that does not keep the hearts of both men from fluttering after they gaze upon her. Cecile Beaumont never intended to impersonate her mistress, but Sophia had other plans. Now can she carry on this masquerade, or will they discover the truth and send her back?

This is not the first of Beth Trissel's books that I have read, so I knew that it would be a great read. The author is very knowledgeable of historical eras, and this shows up in her books. The three main characters have an attitude about them that makes you like them instantly. I absolutely adored Dalton's aunt as she takes Cecile under her wing, thinking her to be Sophia. This is a book that can be read in an hour’s time and would make a great lunch hour read. One thing for certain, once you pick it up, it will be hard to put down as one has to find out if Cecile succeeds in her ploy reaching a surprising conclusion. If you have never read any of Beth Trissel’s books, this will be a great start and make you want to read more. I have always liked her style of writing and hope she does not change.