Latest books read

The Captain's Castaway

This is a traditional Regency written by Christine Scheel & pubbed by Signet in 2005. Features an American girl found adrift in a lifeboat with only an old sailor for company. Not a sign of the boat they were on. Plucked out of the sea by a British frigate captain, he brings her to Portsmouth where she is turned over to relatives. Ordered by the Admiralty to keep an eye on her due to mysterious circumstances beyond her control, Captain Sir Sidney keeps tabs on Julianna & assists her in hunting for her missing father.

I really struggled with this one as I feel there were too many irons in the fire that detracted from what ought to have been the main focus. Any one of the secondary stories would've been enough for its own book- all crammed into one little traditional Regency was too much. In addition Julianna bordered on TSTL towards the end. The ending scene was very touching though & really saved the book IMO.

Road to the Isle

Written by Megan Davidson in 1995 & pubbed by Pinnacle (Kensington). She seems to have one other book out & that's it. Too bad, really. I liked this one quite a lot. A note for those to whom it matters, Road to the Isle is sweet in terms of sexuality & has gritty, somewhat violent scenes involving one or both of the protagonists. Disclaimer: I know nothing of Scottish history & therefore cannot vouch for accuracy in this story. Also, there is some dialect written out, but I managed to ignore it ( a rare feat I must say).

Widow Abigail Fields has lost her daughter & her wastrel husband & has been forced into a Glasgow brothel in order to survive. She dearly loved her husband despite his many faults, which included gambling every penny they had plus all of their furnishings, most of their personal items & his lack of enthusiasm in the bedroom. She is desperate to find their daughter Lydia.

Calum MacDonald, a Jacobite on the run, needs to escape Glasgow in one piece in order to return to his family in a tiny hamlet in the highlands. Abby bribes him into helping her escape & guiding/dragging her northward toward the Shetland Isles where she believes Lydia to be held. From there on out, this is a road/adventure romance. Abby & Calum each have crosses to bear & issues to overcome. None of which are glossed over.

Overall, this is the story of two souls, bereft & grieving, determined to survive & start anew despite the horrendous war around them. They certainly earned their HEA. I did feel the villain was over the top & that distracted me a bit, but all in all Road to the Isle is excellent.
Romance Review