Eloisa James: When beauty tamed the beast jne.

Eloisa Jamesin viihderomaanisarjassa viitataan satuihin, niin kaunottareen ja hirviöön kuin patjojen alla olevaan herneeseenkin. Romaaneissa on kevyttä huumoria, ja jonkin verran myös syvällisempää pohdintaa siitä mitä elämässä pitää tavoitella.

When beauty tamed the beast (Avon, 2011; ISBN 978-0-06-202127-4)

Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty ... Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman.

She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love—in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return.

If she decides to be very wicked indeed ... what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?

The duke is mine (Piatkus, 2012; ISBN 978-0-7499-5602-8)

Destiny will be decided between the sheets in this all-new tale of The Princess and the Pea.

For Olivia Lytton, betrothal to the Duke of Canterwick — hardly a Prince Charming — feels more like a curse than a happily-ever-after. At least his noble status will help her sister, Georgiana, secure an engagement with the brooding, handsome Tarquin, Duke of Sconce, a perfect match for her in every way ... every way but one. Tarquin has in love with Olivia.

Quin never puts passion before reason. And reason says that Georgiana is his ideal bride. But the sensual, fiery, strong-willed Olivia ignites an unknown longing in him — a desire they are both powerless to resist. When a scandalous affair begins, they risk losing everything — Olivia's engagement, her sister's friendship, and their own fragile love. Only one thing can save them — and it awaits in the bedroom, where a magnificent mattress holds life-changing answers to the greatest romantic riddle of all.

The ugly duchess (Piatkus, 2012; ISBN 978-0-7499-5672-1)

How can she dare to imagine he loves her... when all London calls her The Ugly Duchess?

Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion.

Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime... until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.

Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love — or War.

Once upon a tower (Piatkus, 2013; ISBN 978-0-7499-5946-3)

As an extremely wealthy laird, Gowan Stoughton, Duke of Kinross, can have any of the maidens at the ball he attends. The only problem is they are all English and Gowan is not so certain they are suitable. He is accustomed to the hard-working lasses from his Highlands, not these dainty noblewomen who spend their days drinking tea or some other such nonsense. But then he makes the acquaintance of Lady Edith Gilchrist. Utterly bewitched by the emerald-eyed beauty with lush golden locks, he knows he must have her.

"Edie" had the misfortune of being dreadfully ill at her debut ball and barely remembers what Gowan looks like. Even worse, she accepted his proposal the following day. Edie's only true passion is playing music—until Gowan writes a scandalous letter and stirs the most irresistible desire. Yet when they marry, Edie realizes her husband needs a lesson and locks herself in a tower. Somehow Gowan must find a way to enter the tower and convince his new bride that she belongs in his arms.

Eloisa James: This duchess of mine jne.

Eloisa Jamesin Desperate Duchesses -kirjasarjassa on kahdeksan romaania, joissa kaikissa toistetaan samantyylistä juonta, mutta omaperäisyyttäkin piisaa. Kirjailijan oikea nimi on Mary Bly, ja ammatiltaan hän on englannin kielen professori, mikä antanee jonkinlaista katu-uskottavuutta viihdekirjallisuuden tuottamiseenkin.



This duchess of mine (Avon, 2009; ISBN 978-0-06-162682-1)

Wedding bells celebrating the arranged marriage between the lovely Duchess of Beaumont and her staid, imperturbable duke had scarcely fallen silent when a shocking discovery sent Jemma running from the ducal mansion. For the next nine years she cavorted abroad, creating one delicious scandal after another (if one is to believe the rumors).

Elijah, Duke of Beaumont, did believe those rumors.

But the handsome duke needs an heir, so he summons his seductive wife home. Jemma laughs at Elijah's cool eyes and icy heart—but to her secret shock, she doesn't share his feelings. In fact, she wants the impossible: her husband's heart at her feet.

But what manner of seduction will make a man fall desperately in love ... with his own wife?

A duke of her own (Avon Books, 2009; ISBN 978-0-06-162683-8)

Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.

After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man, and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.

Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field...

But in the bedroom. And the heart.

Three weeks with Lady X (Piatkus, 2014; ISBN 978-0-7499-5947-0)

Having made a fortune, Thorn Dautry, the powerful bastard son of a duke, decides that he needs a wife. But to marry a lady, Thorn must acquire a gleaming, civilized façade, the specialty of Lady Xenobia India. Exquisite, head-strong, and independent, India vows to make Thorn marriageable in just three weeks. But neither Thorn nor India anticipate the forbidden passion that explodes between them.

Four nights with the duke (Piatkus, 2015; ISBN 978-0-7499-5948-7)

As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him - so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn. Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia's audacious proposal, but there's one thing he won't give his inconvenient wife: himself. Instead, he offers Mia a devil's bargain ... he will spend four nights a year with her.

Fern Michaels: No Safe Secret

Fern Michaelsin romaani on lähestulkoon pahinta puppua, mitä käsiini koskaan on tarttunut, ja ihmettelen miten tämä romaani ylipäänsä on tullut julkaistuksi: No Safe Secret (Kensington, 2016; ISBN 9781617734601).



Romaani limittää yhteen kahta ajanjaksoa, joista toisessa juhlitaan lukion päättäjäisiä, ja toisessa eletään perhe-elämää parikymmentä vuotta myöhemmin. Samankaltainen tarina on kerrottu kymmeniä kertoja, paljon sujuvammin ja uskottavammin. En jaksanut lukea romaania kuin parikymmentä sivua, ja loppuratkaisun lunttasin.

From her silver Mercedes to her designer kitchen, Molly's life is gleaming and beautiful--at least on the surface. Married to Tanner, a top cosmetic dentist, she has a wonderful daughter finishing high school and twin stepsons from Tanner's first marriage. No one in her exclusive neighborhood in Goldenhills, Massachusetts, knows what living with the demanding Tanner is really like. They know even less about the life she left behind in Florida almost two decades ago.

Back then, Molly was Maddy Carmichael, living with her twin brother and neglectful mother in a run-down trailer park amid the orange groves of Florida. After the terrible events of her high school prom night--and the act of vengeance that followed--she fled north and reinvented herself. But the veneer of Molly's polished existence is finally cracking.

As secrets old and new are revealed, Molly must face painful truths and the choices she made in their wake--and find the strength to become the woman she once hoped to be.

Catherynne M. Valente: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

Catherynne M. Valente tarjoaa moneen suuntaan polveilevan sadun, jossa kaksitoistavuotias tyttö matkustaa satumaahan, ja edessä on monenlaisia sattumuksia: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Little, Brown Book Group, 2012; ISBN 9781780338620).



Sadun kertominen vaatii melkomoista taitoa, ja Valente onnistuu siinä mainiosti, puhutellen aika ajoin lukijaa tuttavallisesti, paljastaen asioita ohimennen, ja samalla tuntuu että sadun maailmasta löytyy loputtomasti ihmeellisyyksiä, niin että arjen asiat näyttäytyvät melkolailla uudessa valossa.

September is a twelve-year-old girl, Somewhat Grown and Somewhat Heartless, and she longs for adventure. So when a Green Wind and a Leopard of Little Breezes invite her to Fairyland - well, of course, she accepts (mightn't you?). When she gets there, she finds a land crushed by the iron rule of a villainous Marquess - she soon discovers that she alone holds the key to restoring order.

As September forges her way through Fairyland, with a book-loving dragon and a boy named Saturday by her side, she makes many friends and mistakes. But while she loses her shadow, her shoe and her way, she finds adventure, courage, a rather special Spoon, and a lot more besides...

Greg Van Eekhout: Pacific Fire

Greg Van Eekhout jatkaa California Bones -fantasiaromaaniaan kymmenen vuotta myöhemmin: Pacific Fire (Tom Doherty Associates, 2015; ISBN 9781429945691).



Teos oli nopealukuinen, ja tarina rullasi jämäkästi eteenpäin, vaikka erityisen omaperäiseksi kertomuksen fantasiaelementtejä ei voikaan sanoa, jossain määrin oli saman toistoa verrattuna kirjasarjan ensimmäiseen osaan.

Jatkoa näyttäisi olevan luvassa, ainakin siinä määrin kesken tuntui kirjan tarina jäävän. Tarkistin asian netistä, ja todellakin, kyseessä on trilogia, jonka kolmas osa on Dragon Coast. Päätösosaa ei kuitenkaan ole lainattavissa Helmetin kautta. Laittaisin se heti varaukseen jos olisi mahdollista.

I'm Sam. I'm just this guy.

Okay, yeah, I'm a golem created from the substance of his own magic by the late Hierarch of Southern California. With a lot of work, I might be able to wield magic myself. I kind of doubt it, though. Not like Daniel Blackland can.

Daniel's the reason the Hierarch's gone and I'm still alive. He's also the reason I've lived my entire life on the run. Ten years of never, ever going back to Los Angeles. Daniel's determined to protect me. To teach me.

But it gets old. I've got nobody but Daniel. I'll never do anything normal. Like attend school. Or date a girl.

Now it's worse. Because things are happening back in LA. Very bad people are building a Pacific firedrake, a kind of ultimate weapon of mass magical destruction. Daniel seemed to think only he could stop them. Now Daniel's been hurt. I managed to get us to the place run by the Emmas. (Many of them. All named Emma. It's a long story.) They seem to be healing him, but he isn't going anyplace soon.

Do I even have a reason for existing, if it isn't to prevent this firedrake from happening? I'm good at escaping from things. Now I've escaped from Daniel and the Emmas, and I'm on my way to LA.

This may be the worst idea I ever had.

Greg Van Eekhout: California Bones

Greg Van Eekhoutin fantasiaromaani on sijoitettu Kaliforniaan, jossa on paljon nykypäivän maailmasta muistuttavaa, mutta toisaalta paljon erilaista, sillä taikuus läpäisee kaiken ilman että siitä pääsee irti: California Bones (Tom Doherty Associates, 2014; ISBN 9781429946858).



Romaani oli kerrassaan hämmentävä, sillä jostain syystä kuvittelin että tarina olisi jotakuinkin tavanomainen seikkailutarina johon olisi vähän mausteeksi lisätty fantasia-aineksia. Päinvastoin, oikeastaan mikään romaanin tapahtumissa ei toimisi ilman taikuuden olemassaoloa, siitä saa suorastaan yliannostuksen.

Toisaalta kirja nappasi mukaansa harvinaisen tiukasti, siinä määrin että lainasin saman tien luettavaksi teoksen jatko-osan, joka sekin oli sähkökirjana saatavissa Helmetin kautta.

When Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken spine plucked out of the sand during a visit with his demanding, brilliant, and powerful magician father, Sebastian.

When Daniel was twelve, he watched Sebastian die at the hands of the Hierarch of Southern California, devoured for the heightened magic layered deep within his bones.

Now, years later, Daniel is a petty thief with a forged identity. Hiding amid the crowds in Los Angeles—the capital of the Kingdom of Southern California—Daniel is trying to go straight. But his crime-boss uncle has a heist he wants Daniel to perform: break into the Hierarch's storehouse of magical artifacts and retrieve Sebastian's sword, an object of untold power.

For this dangerous mission, Daniel will need a team he can rely on, so he brings in his closest friends from his years in the criminal world. There's Moth, who can take a bullet and heal in mere minutes. Jo Alverado, illusionist. The multitalented Cassandra, Daniel's ex. And, new to them all, the enigmatic, knowledgeable Emma, with her British accent and her own grudge against the powers-that-be. The stakes are high, and the stage is set for a showdown that might just break the magic that protects a long-corrupt regime.

Extravagant and yet moving, Greg van Eekhout's California Bones is an epic adventure set in a city of canals and secrets and casual brutality—different from the world we know, yet familiar and true.

Loretta Chase: Miss Wonderful ja Lord Perfect

Loretta Chase on kirjoittanut parikymmentä historiallista viihderomaania, joita ei voi erityisen omaperäisiksi kehua, vaikkakin teoksissa on ajoittaista huumoria ehkä enemmän kuin tyylilajiin yleensä kuuluu. Carsington-veljeksistä kertovassa kirjasarjassa sattuu ja tapahtuu ylenmäärin, ja historiallista ajankuvaakin on mukana kohtalaisessa määrin, ihan pelkän pintakiillon varassa näissä romaaneissa ei liikuta.

Miss Wonderful (Piatkus, 2006; ISBN 978-0-7499-3710-2)

Due to his history of expensive romantic entanglements, Alistair Carsington now has six months to find either a useful occupation or a wealthy heiress to wed. To prove he is not an idle fop only concerned with sartorial pleasures, Alistair agrees to help his old friend, Lord Gordmor, by traveling to the wilds of Derbyshire to convince Gordmor's neighbors to support the nobleman's proposal to build a canal.

Upon arriving, Alistair, a famous war hero and eligible bachelor, finds everyone couldn't be nicer, everyone except for respectable, practical, spinsterish Mirabel Oldridge. The last thing Mirabel wants is for her tranquil little corner of England to be destroyed by a noisy, nasty canal, and she is prepared to use every weapon at her disposal--including her disheveled coiffure and unstylish wardrobe--to stop Alistair.

Lord Perfect (Piatkus, 2007; ISBN 978-0-7499-3728-7I

The heir to the Earl of Hargate, Benedict Carsington, Viscount Rathbourne, is the perfect aristocrat. Tall, dark, and handsome, he is known for his impeccable manners and good breeding. Benedict knows all the rules and has no trouble following them—until she enters his life.

Bathsheba Wingate belongs to the rotten branch of the DeLucey family: a notorious lot of liars, frauds, and swindlers. Small wonder her husband’s high-born family disowned him. Now widowed, she’s determined to give her daughter a stable life and a proper upbringing. Nothing and no one will disrupt Bathsheba’s plans—until he enters her life…

Then Bathsheba’s hoyden daughter lures Benedict’s precocious nephew into a quest for a legendary treasure. To recover the would-be knights errant, Benedict and Bathsheba must embark on a rescue mission that puts them in dangerous, intimate proximity. It’s a situation virtually guaranteed to end in mayhem—even scandal!—if anyone else were involved. But Benedict is in perfect control of events. Perfect control, despite his mad desire to break all the rules. Perfect control. Really.

Kasey Michael: The taming of the rake, A midsummer night's sin ja Much ado about rogues

Kasey Michaelin kolmessa historiallisessa viihderomaanissa seikkailee kolme Blackthorn-veljestä, ja kuten olettaa saattaa kukin veljeksistä joutuu pulaan jos toiseenkin ennen kuin onnellinen loppu häämöttää. Tarinoihin tuo maustetta se, että veljekset ovat syntyneet avioliiton ulkopuolella, vaikka ovatkin saaneet yläluokalle sopivan kasvatuksen.

The taming of the rake (Mills & Boon, 2011; ISBN 978-0-263-89785-2)

Charming, wealthy and wickedly handsome, Oliver “Beau” Blackthorn has it all…except revenge on the enemy he can’t forget. Now the opportunity for retribution has fallen into his hands. But his success hinges on Lady Chelsea Mills-Beckman—the one woman with the power to distract him from his quest.

Desperate to escape her family’s control, Lady Chelsea seizes the chance to run off with the notorious eldest Blackthorn brother, knowing she’s only a pawn in his game. But as Beau draws her deep into a world of intrigue, danger and explosive passion, does she dare hope he’ll choose love over vengeance?

A midsummer night's sin (Mills & Boon, 2011; ISBN 978-0-263-90173-3)

Handsome as the devil and twice as tempting, Robin "Puck" Blackthorn lives for the pleasures of the moment. His only rule—never dally with an innocent woman. But when an encounter at a masquerade ball leaves him coveting the one woman who refuses to succumb to his charms, Puck realizes that some rules were made to be broken.

Scandalized to discover that the masked man with whom she'd shared a dance—and a forbidden embrace—is in fact the ton's most celebrated rake, Regina Hackett vows to keep her distance. Yet when her cousin vanishes, it is to Puck that Regina must turn. And as they embark on a dangerous journey through London's darkest alleys, Regina will discover that beneath Puck's roguish facade lies a man who will stop at nothing to protect her—or to convince her to take a chance on an unrepentant sinner.

Much ado about rogues (Mills & Boon, 2011; ISBN 978-0-263-90177-1)

Who is the darkly handsome Don John "Black Jack" Blackthorn? With his air of mystery and menace, the whispers about him hint of highwayman or government agent or even dark prince. But no one knows what it is Black Jack does…or how dangerous he can truly be. Now Jack's mentor has disappeared, and Jack must track him down before it's too late. His unlikely help: the man's daughter—the very woman Jack had once wooed and betrayed.

Lady Tess Fonteneau knows more about the fine art of clandestine activities—and about the mysterious Mr. Blackthorn—than he realizes. As their journey leads them on the adventure of a lifetime, their reunion is fraught with passion, high-stakes danger and the one twist of fate Jack never saw coming.

Nicole Kornher-Stace: Archivist wasp

Nicole Kornher-Stacen fantasiaromaanissa metsästetään aaveita, enkä oikein tiedä mitä teoksesta ajatella: Archivist wasp (Small Beer Press, 2015; ISBN 978-1-61873-097-8).



Romaani on lyhyt, ja tuntuu kirjoitetun aikuisuuden kynnyksellä oleville lukijoille. Omaperäisyyttäkin on, ja paikoitellen kerronta rullaa eteenpäin mallikkaasti. Toisaalta sitten kirjan maailma ei kunnolla tunnu pitävän kutiaan. Tarinassa on isoja aukkoja, ja vaikka kerrontatapa pyrkii niitä peittämään, onttous paistaa paikoitellen läpi.

A postapocalyptic ghosthunter escapes her dire fate by joining the ghost of a supersoldier on his quest to the underworld.

Rebecca Farnworth: A funny thing about love

Rebecca Farnworthin romaani on viihdekirjallisuutta kevyimmästä päästä, sellaista jota mainostetaan "kesäkirjaksi" helppolukuisuutta painottaen: A funny thing about love (Arrow, 2010; ISBN 978-0-099-52718-3).



Kirja löytyi kirjaston palautettujen kirjojen hyllystä, ja yllättäen teos tuli luettuakin, vaikkakin paikka paikoin sivuja eteenpäin hyppien. Tarinassa on jonkinlainen pointtikin, luulisin, eikä se ihan niin kaukana arkipäivän todellisuudesta ollut kuin ensivaikutelma antoi kuvitella.

The funny thing about love is that just when you think you've got it sorted, it turns round and bites you on the behind.

Which is exactly what's happened to Carmen Miller.

Her ex husband's girlfriend is pregnant, her career as a comedy agent is going down the pan, she's made a fool of herself with fellow agent Will Hunter, a man she's fancied for ages, and to cap it all she has to move out of her flat. Surely things can't get any worse.

Moving down to Brighton to write the TV comedy series that she's always dreamed about, Carmen meets the divine Daniel. A man so gorgeous, she doesn't even mind that he's got long hair. It seems that Carmen's life is on the up again.

Until, that is... love bites again.

Looks like Carmen's back where she started. But could it be that love isn't the problem? Maybe she's just been choosing the wrong men.

Ian McEwan: Viaton

Ian McEwanin romaani sijoittuu kylmän sodan aikaiseen Berliiniin, rajavyöhykkeen tuntumaan: Viaton (Otava, 1990; suom. Leevi Lehto; ISBN 951-1-11160-4).



Romaani ilmestyi vuonna 1990, ja suomennettiin tuoreeltaan, ja täytyy myöntää että tiukasti McEwan oli ajan hengessä kiinni, Neuvostoliiton romahtamisen myötä kun katosi se maailma josta romaani kertoo, se ruma ja ilkeä todellisuus jota kylmässä sodassa elettiin.

Tapahtumat sijoittuvat vuosiin 1955-56, ja tarina on siinä määrin kummallinen, että kuvittelin kirjailijan ottaneen sen suhteen melkoisia vapauksia, kunnes netistä löytyi paljonkin tietoa aiheesta, ja kävi ilmi että romaanilla on historiallista taustaa, ja vaikka McEwan sepittää juoneensa aikamoisia tapahtumia, todellisuus saattoi olla tätäkin vielä kummallisempaa.

Romaanin englanninkielinen nimi on The Innocent, ja jostain syystä se tuntuu iskevämmältä kuin suomennos, joka toki tarkoittaa periaatteessa samaa asiaa.

Anna Smaill: The chimes

Anna Smaillin esikoisteos kuvaa Lontoota, mutta kovasti erilaista, sillä ihmisiltä on kadonnut kyky muodostaa uusia muistoja, ja kirjallisuus on tuhottu eikä uutta saa kirjoittaa: The chimes (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015; ISBN 978-1-444-79450-2).



Kirjan tarina on omaperäisyyden läpitunkema, siinä määrin että ajoittain oli vaikea pysyä tekstin perässä, se tuntui pyrkivän pakoon, tai sitten lukemisen taito ei tekstiin riittänyt. Tästä huolimatta romaani kaappasi mukaansa, sai lukemaan tarinaa, jonka päähenkilöllä on kummallinen tapa havainnoida maailmaa, yrittää ymmärtää sen erikoislaatuisuutta.

The Chimes is set in a reimagined London, in a world where people cannot form new memories, and the written word has been forbidden and destroyed.

In the absence of both memory and writing is music.

In a world where the past is a mystery, each new day feels the same as the last, and before is blasphony, all appears lost. But Simon Wythern, a young man who arrives in London seeking the truth about what really happened to his parents, discovers he has a gift that could change all of this forever.

A stunning literary debut by poet and violinist Anna Smaill, The Chimes is a startlingly original work that combines beautiful, inventive prose with incredible imagination.

Renée Ahdieh: The wrath and the dawn

Renée Ahdiehin fantasiaromaani polveilee moneen suuntaan, ja sisältää lukuisia pieniä tarinoita, samaan tapaan kuin Tuhannen ja yhden yön tarinoissa luodaan uusia maailmoja: The wrath and the dawn (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2015; ISBN 978-0-399-17665-4).



Kirja tuntui paikoitellen keskeneräiseltä, katkonaiselta, mutta toisaalta tarinan kehyskertomus pysyy kuitenkin jotakuinkin kasassa, ja omaperäisyyttä kerronnassa on sen verran ettei romaani tunnu aiempien tarinoiden uudelleen kierrätykseltä.

Sen verran tarina tarrasi kiinni, että varasin saman tien luettavaksi romaanin jatko-osan The Rose and the Dagger.

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she's falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Jo Beverley: The viscount needs a wife ja Too dangerous for a lady

Kirjastosta löytyi kaksi Jo Beverleyn historiallista viihderomaania, joissa tehdään monimutkaisia naimakauppoja tai juonitellaan muuten vain. Erityisen omaperäisiksi romaaneja ei voi sanoa, mutta teksti on sujuvaa, ja vaikka historiallinen ajankuva tuntuu aika ajoin horjuvan, on tarinoissa pilkahdus huumoria ja kertomisen paloa.

The viscount needs a wife (A Signet Select book, 2016; ISBN 978-0-451-47190-1)

Since being widowed two years ago, Kitty Cateril has been trapped in her late husband's home, where she is expected to mourn forever. Desperate to escape, Kitty will consider any option even a hasty marriage to a stranger with no intention of abandoning his bachelor ways. London life suits Beau Braydon, especially his work keeping Britain safe. So when he inherits the title of Viscount Dauntry, he has no intention of resettling on a rural estate. He can't resist the opportunity to marry a sensible widow who can manage Beauchamp Abbey for him until he realizes Kitty is more than he bargained for.

Too dangerous for a lady (Signet Select, 2015; ISBN 978-0-451-47189-5)

When she finds a fugitive thief hiding out in her boudoir, Lady Hermione Merryhew must help Lieutenant Mark Thayne, who has infiltrated the Crimson Band, a group of violent revolutionaries who are planning a bloodbath in London, survive the night so that he can bring them down.