Charlotte Lamb’s Stranger in the Night deals with a sensitive topic she’s approached several times: rape. No, it does not employ the controversial trope of “dubious consent” found in many Harlequins from the 1970s and 1980s. This is a healing love story about a traumatic assault that upended a woman’s life and affected her relationships with men. 5 Stars
An Anne Mather Harlequin Presents is what I considered to be an “old reliable.” In this category romance, Sirocco, Anne Mather employs one of her commonly used tropes: a hero in pursuit of an already “attached” woman. 3.5 stars
Man in Control by Alice Morgan features a unique heroine, an avaricious young woman who openly acknowledges that she’s looking to settle down with a man, not for love but money. 3 stars
The Treacherous Heart by Angela Alexie is a tale of a Gaelic, black-haired, fiery-spirited lass forced by circumstances to become a thief to provide for her family, only to be thwarted by an arrogant, scar-faced, golden-haired Duke
Anne Mather’s No Gentle Possession consists of two plot points: separated lovers and cheating. The hero and heroine briefly dated in the past and she broke it off when his relationship with his young stepmother was a bit too close for comfort and creepy. 4 Stars
Siren Song, is the first in Roberta Gellis’ Medieval Song trilogy. Lady Elizabeth is heiress to vast lands and married to Mauger, a cruel, murderous lord. Elizabeth’s heart is for Sir William of Marlowe, her former love. 4 stars
I’ve read Mary Jo Putney’s Uncommon Vows several times and have always loved this passionate medieval story about obsessive love.
Harlequin Historical #157 Wicked Stranger by Louisa Rawlings is the sequel to my all-time favorite books, Stranger in My Arms, and features a great hero.
Patricia Hagan Midnight Rose is set in the antebellum South where the heroine must hide her true identity from society and the hero will do anything to have her.
Harlequin Presents #451 Crescendo by Charlotte Lamb A mysterious man enters a young woman’s life, but does she know him already? 5 stars
