Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

0 comments Posted by Anonymous at 8:53 PM




The newest novel in Lauren Willig’s series about aristocratic spies of the 18th century picks up where the Seduction of the Crimson Rose leaves off – current historian Eloise Kelly has finally got her man, Colin Selwick, descendant of one of the spies she had been researching, the secretive Purple Gentian. As Eloise has come to find out, however, Colin’s ancestor was just one in a whole bouquet of florally-named spies, and as she delves further into the Selkirk archives, she finds that the oft-overlooked, innocent Lady Charlotte Lansdowne comes to the fore when she accidentally uncovers a plot to subdue and kidnap the King – mad King George III, who may not be as mad as everyone believes. Her discovery coincides with the return from India of her favourite distant cousin, Robert, Duke of Dovedale. Long enamoured of Robert, Charlotte’s romantic notions of her white knight are dashed when Robert takes up with a gang of libertines, the notorious Hellfire Club. But little does Charlotte realize that Robert has returned from India hot on the trail of the man who betrayed his regiment to the enemy and killed his mentor. And little does Robert realize that the plot Charlotte uncovered involves the same killer, the elusive but deadly “Night Jasmine”. In trying to recover the king, their paths merge, but will their hearts? As Eloise discovers their story, she uncovers something quite unexpected about the object of her own affections: that the apple may not fall far from the family tree. Moving back and forth through time and written with quick wit, this latest romantic adventure from Lauren Willig is as thoroughly researched as her past novels, and is as every bit as enjoyable to read. Click here to find The Temptation of the Night Jasmine in our on-line catalogue.

 

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Will You Marry Me? Seven Centuries of Love

0 comments Posted by Anonymous at 8:00 AM


Edited by Helene Scheu-Riesz

Long before jumbo-trons and hot-air balloon rides at dawn, the most elegant proposals of marriage were done so through the written word, in the form of a love letter. Will You Marry Me? brings together some of the most beautiful, memorable, and also notorious and unusual love-letters and matrimonial requests throughout history. Arranged in chapters by era, you can peruse proposals from the Victorians, Renaissance and even what the editors have termed the Gothic era - which is actually the high to late Middle Ages - in which one can read the love letter of 14-year old Arthur, Prince of Wales, to his Spanish bride, Catherine of Aragon. Each letter is preceded by some historical context and tells you if the letter was successful in wooing a wife. There are some remarkably romantic notes (as a certain Thomas Carlyle’s is to his future wife), and some are as unromantic and pragmatic as a business contract (a great deal of these were unsuccessful!) There are also several examples of letters written by enterprising young women who were too high-spirited and intelligent to wait for young men to declare themselves. This slim volume is a perfect companion for Valentine’s Day whether you celebrate it or not – there are letters enough for the romantics out there as well as the cynics – presented as it is with beautifully illustrated old engravings. It may also be a handy guide for those who are planning for a future proposal of their own! Click here to find it in our on-line catalogue.

 

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Crossed Bones, by Jane Johnson

0 comments Posted by Anonymous at 2:51 PM

August 22, 2008

In the seventeenth and eighteenth century Barbary corsair raids were a common occurrence on the south coasts of England. It is estimated that at one time more than 3000 British citizens were held in the prisons of Salé in Morocco; these raiders were motivated to capture Christian slaves and goods in the name of Islam, just as the Knights Templar captured Muslim slaves and treasure in the name of Christianity. Author Jane Johnson uses this bit history as the basis for her novel, Crossed Bones. In modern day England, Cornish craftswoman Julia Lovat is given a seventeenth-century book of embroidery patterns as a consolation prize when her lover dumps her. Although broken-hearted, Julia is spellbound when she discovers a journal in tiny handwriting between the patterns; the diary of a young woman of Penzance in Cornwall named Catherine Anne Tregana, who became a captive slave to the “Sallee Rovers”, the corsairs of Sale. As Julia follows Catherine’s journey to Morocco and self-discovery, she follows her own journey – she is pursued by her ex-lover who realizes the book’s material worth, and reconnects with her oldest friends as she races to find out if Catherine’s story is true. What she finds are connections to her own past – and to her future. Part historical fiction, part mystery, part ghost story, Crossed Bones is a fascinating story about a little-known era in British and Moroccan history.
Click here to find it in the SPL catalogue.

 

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The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen

0 comments Posted by Anonymous at 10:10 AM

Meet Josey Cirrini, only daughter of Marco Cirrini, who rebuilt and brought prosperity to the North Carolinian town of Bald Slope. Being a quasi-royal has never fit Josey though – she quietly looks after her dominating, widowed mother and escapes by hiding in a secret closet, eating sweets and reveling in travel magazines or romance novels. To her dismay however, her private paradise is invaded by the brash Della Lee Baker, a woman as far removed from the society of the Cirrini’s as chocolate is from cheese. Hiding from a secret of her own, Della takes up residence in Josey’s closet, forcing her out into the world she dreams of but in which she never lives. In the real world Josey discovers Chloe Finley who makes the world’s best sandwiches, and is in dire need of a good friend. Through Chloe she also meets her not-so-secret crush Adam, the mailman and ex-extreme sporting participant. While Della pushes her to get closer to Adam, Josey tries to push Della away – or at least out of her closet. But Della’s presence harbingers a far greater mystery than any of them can at first intuit. From the author of Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen is a magical gem of a novel for a balmy summer evening.
Find this book in the library catalogue.

 

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Seduction of the Crimson Rose, by Lauren Willig

0 comments Posted by Stratford Public Library at 2:37 PM

Newest in her ‘Napoleonic Spy’ series, Lauren Willig turns her attention to the arch-villain of her previous novels, the roguish Lord Vaughn. Lord Vaughn has, until now, been something of an enigma. He is one of the aristocratic set, but not particularly caught up in the national fervour that has everyone wondering the secret identities of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Pink Carnation and the Black Tulip. However, this may be because he actually knows the identities behind these shadowy figures – all except for the nefarious Black Tulip. The Pink Carnation seeks Lord Vaughn’s help in drawing out the Black Tulip, and he in turn ropes in a young acquaintance to help him. Mary Alsworthy (she whose sister accidentally made off with her fiancée in Willig’s last novel The Deception of the Emerald Ring), is more than happy to do a little spying, for the right price. Could it be that Lord Vaughn has met his match in the black-haired beauty? For those interested in the high romantic adventure of the Georgian period, this series is a delight.
Find this book in the library catalogue

 

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