Marie Brennan: A natural history of dragons - a memoir by Lady Trent

Marie Brennan tarjoaa fantasiaa, tieteenhistoriaa ja historiallista viihderomaania tyylilajiltaan yhdistelevän romaanin, joka tarttui käsiin kirjastohyllystä yllättäen ja pyytämättä: A natural history of dragons - a memoir by Lady Trent (Titan Books, 2014; ISBN 978-1-78329-239-4).



Tartuin kirjaan kirjastossa, avasin sen alkusivulta, istahdin tuolille lukemaan, ja ennen kuin huomasinkaan olin jo sivulla 50 menossa. Pakkohan kirja oli lainata ja lukea, ja kirjasarjan seuraava osa on tietysti varauksessa.

Kirja ei ole mitenkään erityisen omaperäinen, mutta jonkinlaista nokkeluutta siinä piisaa, eikä päähenkilöstä voi olla pitämättä, kaikenlaisista omituisuuksista ja hullutuksista huolimatta. Melkomoisen mainio taidonnäyte kirjailijalta.

Everyone knows Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, prospects, and her life to satisfy scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the mountains of Vystrana, where she made discoveries that would change the world.

Sophia Nash: The duke diaries

Sophia Nashiltä löytyy Helmetistä yksi teos, historiallinen viihderomaani jossa makuuhuoneesta samasta sängystä löytynyt nuoripari joutuu pakkonaimisiin vaikka kumpikaan sitä ei halua: The duke diaries (Avon, 2013; ISBN 978-0-06-202234-9).



Kirjan juonessa oli muutama ammottava aukko, jotka osin voivat johtua siitä että hypin tekstissä eteenpäin. Toisaalta huumoriakin löytyi, eikä kirjailija ole tyylilajissaan ihan huonoimmasta päästä. Apple iBooks-sovelluksesta löytyisi kirjailijalta teoksia, mutta enpä tietä olisivatko ne hintansa arvoisia.

Your heart will be set afire with The Duke Diaries, the third book in Sophia Nash's Royal Entourage series set in Regency England.

After a wild, scandalous night, Rory Lennox, the Duke of Abshire, finds himself in the bed of his sworn enemy's wholesome sister, Verity Fitzroy. To protect her honor and keep the peace, he agrees to marriage, but it's an engagement neither is happy about - until unimaginable occurrences make them view the other in a new, passionate light.

RITA Award-winning author Sophia Nash is a master of the historical romance who has created unforgettable, compelling characters with powerful emotions and intense sensuality. Sparkling and smart, The Duke Diaries is a wickedly fun romp that will leave you breathless.

Karen Hawkins: A most dangerous profession

Karen Hawkinsin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa juonitellaan siinä määrin urakalla, että suorastaan ihmetyttää tarinan jotakuinkin koossa pysyminen: A most dangerous profession (Pocket Books, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4391-7594-1).



Monenlaisia salaisuuksia on sotkettu sekaisin siinä määrin että tarina hädin tuskin pysyy koossa, mutta kohtalaisen taitavasti kirjailija juonta kuitenkin kuljettaa.

For beautiful, seductive Moira MacAllister, the stakes have become terrifyingly high. Her daughter has been abducted and a priceless ancient relic is the ransom. Moira must acquire it at any cost, even if it means confronting the man she once duped and left, a man who still doesn’t know she has a child ... and that he is the father.

Robert Hurst, an operative in the king’s service, has never forgiven the mysterious spy who seduced him into marriage and then disappeared without a trace. Now, as he pursues the onyx box that will save his brother’s life, their paths cross again. But Robert isn’t sure which he longs for more—to satisfy his lust for revenge or to quench his relentless hunger for this bewitching woman.

Karen Hawkins: How to capture a countess

Karen Hawkinsin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa haudotaan kostoa ja selvitellään ihmissuhdekiemuroita melkoisen reipasotteisesti: How to capture a countess (Pocket Books, 2012; ISBN 978-1-4516-8517-6).



Romaani on viihteellistä hömppää, mutta sellaisena kohtalaisen siedettävää.

At seventeen, Rose fell wildly in love with Lord Alton Sinclair, known as Lord Sin for his wicked ways. Stung by his indifference, the starry-eyed girl tried to win an illicit kiss, but then panicked and pushed the notorious rakehell into a fountain. Leaving Lord Sin floating among the lily pads to the mocking laughter of his peers, Rose escaped back to the obscurity of the Scottish countryside.

Six years later, Sin convinces his aunt, the Duchess of Roxburghe, to invite Rose to her annual house party, where he plans to get revenge by making Rose the laughingstock of polite society. To his astonishment, he finds she has become an alluring woman who threatens to turn the tables on his nefarious plans. Thus Sin and Rose begin an epic battle of the sexes that becomes more passionate at every turn. Eventually, one will have to surrender ... but to vengeance? Or to love’s deepest passion?

Jane Ashford: Nothing like a duke

Jane Ashfordin historiallinen viihderomaani on sarjassa neljäs, ja jälleen kerran herrasmies ja neitokainen selvittelevät välejään samaan aikaan kun juonittelu tarjoaa jännitysmomentteja tarinalle: Nothing like a duke (Sourcebooks, 2017; ISBN 978-1-4926-2166-9).



Ashford on kohtalaisen taitava kirjoittaja, mutta romaani ei kummoista muistijälkeä jättänyt, siinä määrin tavanomainen viihdepaketti se on.

How does a gentleman rescue a lady?

Lord Robert Gresham has given up all hope that the beautiful and independent Flora Jennings will ever take him seriously. He heads to an exclusive country house party to forget about the beauty haunting his thoughts. When Flora shows up, Robert is nothing short of shocked.

When she insists on saving herself?

While Flora hates the expectations of fashionable society, she finds the annoyingly charming Lord Robert hard to resist. But while their attraction flares, someone much more sinister arrives and threatens Flora. Every fiber of Robert's being says to step in and save her... but some damsels in distress insist on saving themselves.

Debra Salonen: Betting on Grace

Helmetin e-kirjoista löytynyt viihderomaani tuli lainatuksi kirjailijan Suomeen viittaavan sukunimen takia, mutta muutamaan sivuun jäi Debra Salosen kirjan lukeminen: Betting on Grace (Silhouette, 2012; ISBN 978-1-4592-3145-0).



Kirjaan on punottu monenmoista juonimista, mutta henkilöhahmoissa ei ole juurikaan syvyyttä, mikä sai lukuinnon katkeamaan alkuunsa.

The prophecy: You will marry a prince--but you will have to save him first.

Las Vegas restaurateur Grace Radonovic is more than a little surprised when her late father's friend proposes marriage. Wanting to be true to her father's memory and burdened by the weight of her close but overbearing Gypsy family, she accepts.

Who is she to turn her back on the dynasty?

But the shady lawyer-turned-casino owner is more wild card than king of hearts. And he's more attracted to Grace's dowry to help pay off his blackmailer than the curvy brunette herself. Even the Radonovic matriarch feels something is amiss. So when long-lost cousin Nikolai Sarna visits the Gypsy compound, Grace can't help but wonder if he's actually her destiny. But there's something Nick isn't telling her. A secret that could land Grace in unexpected danger.

Karen Hawkins: Mad for the plaid

Karen Hawkins tarjoaa skotlantilaista eksotiikkaa historiallisessa viihderomaanissa, jossa juonitaan kansainvälisellä politiikalla höystettynä: Mad for the plaid (Headline Eternal, 2016; ISBN 978-1-4722-2905-2).



Kuten useimmissa lajityypin kirjasarjoissa, samaa tarinaa toistetaan kerta toisensa jälkeen.

The third captivating, sizzling Scottish historical romance in New York Times bestseller Karen Hawkins's Princes of Oxenburg series. Fans of Julia Quinn, Monica McCarty and Julie Garwood will be enchanted by this dazzling read.

Prince Nikolai Romanovin has travelled to the deepest wilds of Scotland to rescue his abducted grandmother. Hoping to avoid an international incident, the prince hatches a plan to slip into enemy territory disguised as a groom.

Mairi MacKenzie has been left in charge of Castle Cromartie, and her unruly grandmother, in her father's absence. Cool and pragmatic, nothing gets past her. She's certain her new groom isn't who he says he is, but she can't deny he stirs her senses...

After confronting her imposter and learning the truth, Mairi agrees to help - for she, too, would do anything for family. Their secret partnership develops into searing kisses, and their quest soon turns dangerous.

Suzanne Enoch: Rogue with a brogue

Suzanne Enoch tarjoaa skotlantilaista väriä historiallisessa viihderomaanissa, jossa klaanien välinen taistelu värittää ihmissuhteita: Rogue with a brogue (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2014; ISBN 978-1-250-04161-6).



Teos on Scandalous Highlanders -romaanisarjan toinen osa.

A Rogue For Every Lady

London, 1817: Stuck in a Mayfair ballroom, thanks to his lovestruck brother, Highlander Arran MacLawry wants nothing but a bit of distraction from an arranged betrothal—and a clever auburn-haired lass in a vixen's mask promises just that ... until he discovers that she's the granddaughter of the Campbell, chief of clan MacLawry's longtime rival. Despite their families' grudging truce, falling for fiery Mary Campbell is a notion too outlandish even for this Highlander.

The Thrill Of The Forbidden

Raised on tales of savage MacLawrys, Mary is stunned to realize the impressively strapping man in the fox's mask is one of them. Surely the enemy shouldn't have such a broad chest, and such a seductive brogue? Not that her curiosity matters—any dalliance between them is strictly forbidden, and she's promised to another. But with the crackling spark between them ready to catch flame, love is worth every risk.

Suzanne Enoch: The devil wears kilts

Suzanne Enochin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa on skotti-eksotiikkaa mausteena, mutta muuten kirja ei sisällöltään poikkea lajityypistään: The devil wears kilts (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2014; ISBN 978-1-250-04160-9).



Teos aloittaa Scandalous Highlanders -kirjasarjan johon kuuluu neljä romaania.

On a mission to rescue his runaway sister from the lure of flowery compliments and a useless lot of satin-clad scalawags disguised by their snooty titles, Ranulf MacLawry, Marquis of Glengask, has roared into British society like a storm across the Highlands. But he's about to find out that satin has its appeal, especially when it covers the curves of Miss Lady Charlotte Hanover - whose tongue is as sharp as her skin is soft.

Lady Charlotte Hanover has had her fill of hot-headed men, having lost her fiance in an utterly unnecessary duel. When did brawn ever triumph over brains? And yet there is something solid and appealing about the brash Highlander who's as dangerous in the ballroom as in battle. Sometimes bigger really is better.

Celeste Bradley: Desperately seeking a duke

Celeste Bradleyn historiallinen viihderomaani aloittaa kirjasarjan, jossa perijätär yrittää päästä hyviin naimisiin, mutta sotkujahan tästä tietysti seuraa: Desperately seeking a duke (St. Martin's, 2008; ISBN 978-0-312-93968-7).



Rikkaus vai rakkaus, siinäpä kysymys...

The only way for vicar's daughter Phoebe Millbury to inherit a family fortune is to find herself a duke—just as her late grandfather demanded in his will. But Phoebe, who's still trying to make good after a romantic scandal, also has her two cousins to contend with. They're all competing for the same money, maybe even the same men... until Phoebe meets her match in the terribly handsome and charming Rafe Marbrook.

When she receives a marriage proposal from the Marquis of Brookhaven, Phoebe is thrilled to learn that Rafe is headed for dukedom… and accepts his offer. There's only one problem: It's from Rafe's older, less captivating brother, Calder. Now Phoebe finds herself on the verge of yet another scandal as she faces a desperate choice: Marry Calder for his money — or follow her own heart? Each way can only lead to trouble.

Elizabeth Hoyt: Duke of desire

Elizabeth Hoytin historiallinen viihderomaani on sarjassaan kahdestoista, ja selvästi näkyy että samaa tarinaa on pyöritetty siinä määrin moneen kertaan että uskottavuuden rajat ovat aikoja sitten unohtuneet: Duke of desire (Piatkus, 2017; ISBN 978-0-349-41237-5).



Hoyt osaa kyllä kirjoittaa, mutta liika on aina liikaa.

A lady of light. Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked - and nude! - Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him... only to find she may have been a trifle hasty.

A duke in deepest darkness. Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe.

Caught in a web of danger and desire, much to Raphael's irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life - and bed. Soon he's drawn both to her quick wit and firey passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael's past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael's own demons?

Karen Hawkins: Caught by the Scot

Karen Hawkinsin historiallisessa viihderomaanisarjassa kolme veljestä pakotetaan naimisiin kolmessa kuukaudessa tai he menettävät perintönsä: Caught by the Scot (Headline Eternal, 2017; ISBN 978-1-4722-2908-3).



Kirjasarjan ensimmäisessä osassa on monenmoista hömppämäistä juonenkäännettä ja huumoriakin on pujahtanut mukaan.

When the dark Duke of Hamilton loses his beloved wife, he heeds her dying wish that he make certain her three brothers marry well for she fears they are all headed to ruin. Heartsick, the Duke approaches the task with a heavy hand, ordering the three brothers to marry within three months or forego their inheritance.

The middle brother, the dashing Conner Douglas, is not about to give up his independence, but he knows marriage doesn't always mean one must change, does it? If anything, being married to a pliable sort of female would give him even more opportunity to seduce the married women of the ton. So he heads straight for the most pliable female he knows - a childhood acquaintance and now mousy spinster, the English born and bred Miss Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe.

Julia Quinn: To Sir Phillip, with love

Julia Quinnin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa kirjeenvaihto johtaa ehdotukseen avioliitosta, mutta odotukset ja todellisuus ovatkin aika lailla erilaisia: To Sir Phillip, with love (HarperCollins, 2017; ISBN 978-0-06-242411-2).



Quinn osaa kirjoittaa huumorilla höystettyä dialogia, ja vaikka ihmishahmoissa on melkoisesti stereotypiaa - juro mies ja puhelias nainen - onnistuu romaani ujuttautumaan pintaa syvemmällekin.

Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except ... she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except ... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decidedly unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.

Jane Ashford: Lord Sebastian's secret

Jane Ashfordin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa fiksu nainen ja lukutaidoton aatelismies suunnittelevat naimisiin menoa, mutta mitä tapahtuu kun salaisuudet paljastuvat: Lord Sebastian's secret (Sourcebooks, 2017; ISBN 978-1-4926-2163-8).



Teos löytyi Helmetin e-kirjoista. Romaani on nopealukuinen mutta tarjoaa hiukan lajityyppiään syvällisempääkin sisältöä.

Lord Sebastian Gresham is a battle-tested soldier and brilliant strategist. Yet all his life he’s had to hide his complete failure to decipher letters. In his own mind, he’s just stupid. What a miracle it is that he’s found the perfect bride.

Lady Georgina Stane is beautiful, witty, and brilliantly intelligent. Sebastian is head over heels in love, proud as a peacock, and terrified. If she finds out his secret, will he lose her love forever?

Julia London: The year of living scandalously

Julia Londonin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa juonitellaan ja salaillaan sekä yritetään selvittää mysteeriä hiukan dekkaria muistuttavassa tarinassa: The year of living scandalously (Pocket Books, 2010; ISBN 978-1-4391-7545-3).



Kirja on sujuvasti kirjoitettu mutta sisällöltään tyhjähkö hömppäromaani, josta jäi varsin vähän mieleen.

When Declan O’Connor, Earl of Donnelly, arrives at Hadley Green to meet with Lily Boudine, the new countess of Ashwood, he knows instantly that the lovely woman who welcomes him is not who she pretends to be. In an attempt to avoid an unwanted marriage, Keira Hannigan has assumed her cousin’s identity and is staying at the estate while Lily is abroad.

When Declan threatens to expose her, Keira convinces him to guard her secret, then enlists him in her investigation of the missing jewels, for she now believes an innocent man was hanged.

Trisha Ashley: The little teashop of lost and found

Trisha Ashleyn viihderomaanissa nummelta löytynyt löytölapsi haluaa selvittää, kuka hän oikeastaan on, ja palaa kotiseudulleen: The little teashop of lost and found (Bantam Press, 2017; ISBN 978-0-593-07558-6).



Kirjassa on monenlaista juonenkäännettä, ja leipomisella sekä pienellä kahviolla on iso rooli juonessa. Helppolukuista viihdettä, vaikka jonkin verran mukana on syvempääkin pohdintaa ihmisenä olemisesta.

Alice Rose is a foundling, discovered on the Yorkshire moors above Haworth as a baby. Adopted but then later rejected again by a horrid step-mother, Alice struggles to find a place where she belongs.

Only baking - the scent of cinnamon and citrus and the feel of butter and flour between her fingers - brings a comforting sense of home. So it seems natural that when she finally decides to return to Haworth, Alice turns to baking again, taking over a run-down little teashop and working to set up an afternoon tea emporium. Luckily she soon makes friends - including a Grecian god-like neighbour - who help her both set up home and try to solve the mystery of who she is.

There are one or two last twists in the dark fairytale of Alice's life to come - but can she find her happily ever after?

Beverly Eikli: The maid of Milan

Beverly Eiklin historiallisessa viihderomaanissa piilossa olleet salaisuudet ovat vaarassa paljastua, ja monenmoista vehkeilyä on tiedossa: The maid of Milan (Choc Lit Limited, 2014; ISBN 978-1-78189-128-5).



Kirja päähenkilö on nainen jonka herkkää olemusta on kaikin keinoin pyritty suojelemaan, mutta pinnan alla kuohuu eikä todellisuus ole aivan sitä miltä näyttää. Romaanissa on omaperäistä otetta, vaikka kovin pitkälle juoni ei jaksakaan kantaa.

Adelaide Leeson wants to prove herself worthy of her husband, a man of noble aspirations who married her when she was at her lowest ebb. Lord Tristan Leeson is a model of diplomacy and self-control, even curbing the fiery impulses of his youth to preserve the calm relations deemed essential by his mother-in-law to preserve his wife's health.

A visit from his boyhood friend, feted poet Lord James Dewhurst, author of the sensational Maid of Milan, persuades Tristan that leaving the countryside behind for a London season will be in everyone's interests. But as Tristan's political career rises and Adelaide revels in society's adulation, the secrets of the past are uncovered. And there's a high price to pay for a life of deception.

Mary Balogh: Someone to wed

Helmetin e-kirjoista löytyi Mary Baloghin historiallinen viihderomaani, jossa rikas nainen etsii itselleen puolisoa ja löytää sellaisen epätoivon partaalla olevasta aatelismiehestä: Someone to wed (Jove, 2017; ISBN 978-0-3995-8606-4).



Romaanissa on keikautettu rakkausromaanin asetelmia osittain päälaelleen, vaikka melko lailla tyypillinen lajinsa edustaja teos onkin. Balogh osaa kirjoittaa melkolailla uskottavia henkilöhahmoja, mistä plussaa.

Humphrey Westcott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a scandalous secret that has put his legal heir, Alexander, in a most precarious position.

When Alexander Westcott becomes the new Earl of Riverdale, he inherits a title he never wanted and a failing country estate he cant afford. But he fully intends to do everything in his power to undo years of neglect and give the people who depend on him a better life.

A recluse for more than twenty years, Wren Heyden wants one thing out of life: marriage. With her vast fortune, she sets her sights on buying a husband. But when she makes the desperate and oh-so-dashing earl a startlingly unexpected proposal, Alex will only agree to a proper courtship, hoping for at least friendship and respect to develop between them. He is totally unprepared for the desire that overwhelms him when Wren finally lifts the veils that hide the secrets of her past.

Felicia Mason: Hidden riches

Helmetin e-kirjoista löytyy yksi Felicia Masonin romaani. Riitaiset sukulaiset yhdistävät voimansa perinnön saamisen toivossa, ja monenlaista kähmintää on luvassa: Hidden riches (Kensington, 2015; ISBN 978-1-4967-0150-3).



Romaani on melkoista hömppää, vaikka mukana on vakavampaakin ainesta. Henkilökaarti ei ole erityisen siloteltu saatikka miellyttävä, kaikilla on oma etu ensisijalla eikä kenestäkään kovin sympaattista kuvaa saa.

After a lifetime spent scrubbing and mending for others, Ana Mae Futrell has passed away. Her siblings have reluctantly returned to their North Carolina hometown to bury the older sister they never really bothered to know. For instance, they didn't know she'd won big on a lottery ticket. Or that she had a son. But back to the money--Ana Mae's millions will go only to the person who can interpret the clues she's left behind in a quilt. If they all fail, the fortune goes to Ana Mae's cats--and a Reverend with whom she shared a "special" relationship.

Ana Mae's two sisters and brother hadn't really thought about her in years, but now she's all they can think about. And as the race to win begins, everyone finds there's more to gain than money. Because they're each going to learn a little something about Ana Mae--and a whole lot more about themselves.

Suzanne Enoch: Good earl hunting

Suzanne Enochin historiallinen viihdenovelli löytyy Helmetin e-kirjoista: Good earl hunting (Nancy Yost Literary Agency, 2012; ISBN 978-1-617-50860-8).



Kirjassa on kevyttä päähenkilöiden välistä sanailua riittämiin, mutta romaaniksi asti aineksia ei ole, eikä novellistakaan paljon mieleen jää.

Geoffrey Kerick, the Earl of Vashton, has had marriage-minded ladies flung at him for the past two years—since he inherited his brother's title and wealth—which is much less amusing than when they were simply flinging themselves into his bed for fun.

However, this particular invitation for a country house party in Devonshire he accepts with alacrity; because this time someone has caught his eye.

Theodora Meacham is resigned to being second; a second daughter, second in beauty, and a distant second in charm. Knowing that the irritating Lord Vashton is coming to Beldath Hall to woo her sister, Theo is, for once, quite happy to remain detached from the silliness. But Lord Vashton isn't preciselyt he boor she expects. Even more surprising, he seems determined to ignore her sister... in favor of her!

Can two people who are perfectly ill-suited find that two wrongs do make a right?