To Take Her Pride by Anne Brear. © 2012 Knox Robinson Publishing. ISBN 9781908483119. Paperback. Historical Romance. Source: review copy provided by publishers.

Synopsis: Aurora Pettigrew has loved her neighbor, Reid Sinclair, all he life, but she hasn’t told anyone about it. When Reid professes his love for her, she thinks that her dreams are within her grasp. But Reid’s proud mother doesn’t believe that the Pettigrew’s daughter is good enough for a Sinclair. She conspires to separate the young lovers and sends Aurora on a journey into a world she had never imagined.

Review: I admit, that I have a weakness for historical romances. Yes, I know they’re formulaic and often predictable. One of the formulas that occurs in historical romances is what I’ll call the “unfortunate misunderstanding”. This is where the potential lovers are separated either physically or emotionally by a simple lack of communication. I find these to be some of the most frustrating romances to read because things could be cleared up so easily if the characters would just communicate. Sure, Reid’s mother manipulates the situation, but really it could all be cleared up with a letter or two. Of course, that doesn’t make for a very dramatic love story. I liked Aurora from the start in this story and found myself a little frustrated when this happened because in the beginning she seemed so intelligent. Still, I suppose first loves make us all do some ninny-headed things. She redeems herself in the end.

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Meredith

Meredith is a writer and fiber artist living in Central VA. She studied literature and folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before working as a corporate trainer and instructional designer for 10 years. She has written countless training manuals, but now devotes her energy to fiction and creative non-fiction. A voracious reader, her interests are history, genealogy, anthropology, and Scots Gaelic. When her hands are not holding a book or touching a keyboard they are likely knitting, spinning or felting. You can follow her adventures in fiction and fiber on her website. You can also find her on Twitter and Flickr.

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Editor’s Note: I would like to welcome Meredith to our ranks here at Read All Over Reviews. She’ll be handling most of our eBook reviews.

Reluctant Queen, the story of Henry VIII’s defiant little sister by Geraldine Evans Copyright 2011 (originally published in 2004 by Robert Hale under the name Geraldine Hartnett). Source: e-copy provided by the author for an honest review.

Mary, the beautiful, younger sister of English king, Henry VIII, reluctantly agrees to marry the aged and sickly Louis XII of France for reasons of state. But before agreeing, she extracts Henry’s promise that she may please herself for her second marriage. Mary is deeply in love with the low-born Charles Brandon, her brother’s boon companion, and is determined to wed Brandon should King Louis die.

Review: As an admitted history nerd, I’m predisposed to like this book. From the blurb it would seem to have a lot of elements that I like: lesser known history, a feisty heroine, a little romance. Unfortunately, the description only covers the first part of the book.

Historical fiction takes a lot of research and it’s clear that Ms. Evans did hers. There is a wealth of information here about Mary Tudor and the other royals of her generation in both England and France. I enjoy reading about political intrigue and the machinations of leaders. I learned quite a bit about Mary Tudor who is usually obscured by the shadow of her charismatic and controversial brother. Read more

Meredith

Meredith is a writer and fiber artist living in Central VA. She studied literature and folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before working as a corporate trainer and instructional designer for 10 years. She has written countless training manuals, but now devotes her energy to fiction and creative non-fiction. A voracious reader, her interests are history, genealogy, anthropology, and Scots Gaelic. When her hands are not holding a book or touching a keyboard they are likely knitting, spinning or felting. You can follow her adventures in fiction and fiber on her website. You can also find her on Twitter and Flickr.

More Posts - Website