Kate Adair

I will admit up-front that heterosexual category romance is a hard sell for me. But this book promised crossdressing and swashbuckling shenanigans and secret identities, and it was, at the time, free on Amazon's Kindle store, so I thought, well, why not?

And for the most part, the book delivered. The hero, Jean-Paul, and the heroine, Miriame, were both likeable and interesting (although she was a little more interesting than he was), their relationship was sweet, and the obstacles in their way felt real and not like the characters were being ridiculous and should just sit down and talk to each other already. Swashbuckling action, while not the main focus, was also present and quite fun. The secondary court intrigue plot was also entertaining, and I enjoyed the fact that while the heroine's rival in love, Francine, looks like a stock shallow-bitchy-female-rival character at first, by the end she's been given a little more depth and she and the heroine are on friendly terms. It's common in fiction in general for the "wrong" love interest, as it were, to be portrayed quite negatively, and in historical fiction featuring plucky female leads in particular, women who conform more to societal expectations tend to get a bad rap. So it was nice to see those trends subverted a little.

The pacing was a little weirdly rushed in places because this is part of a "trilogy" of books that all take place concurrently, so subplots involving Miriame's two friends (also women who have joined the Musketeers disguised as men) are brought up and then quickly dispensed of in a single sentence (presumably because they are dealt with in depth in the other two books). For the most part, though, things moved along at a decent pace, and my attention was hooked all the way through.

And then I reached the ending, indeed the very last scene, wherein Jean-Paul asks Miriame to marry him, and she says no. So he locks her in his apartment, takes her shoes and throws them out the window, and tells her that he doesn't like that answer, and is going to keep asking until he gets an answer he likes (i.e. until she says yes). Yikes. It's all okay, you see, because she really does want to marry him but feels like she can't because of Reasons, but still. I know some people are into that kind of power dynamic, but I am really, really not, and the portrayal of the characters' relationship up to that point had given me no reason whatsoever to expect that kind of thing. It came out of left field, it didn't feel like it fit the characters as they were previously established, and it seemed completely unnecessary (this is one of those cases where they really could have just talked about it and avoided all the skeevy coercive stuff). So that soured me on the book a lot.

Really, though, the only reason I was angry enough about the ending to feel moved to write a review is because I felt it had ruined (for me) what was otherwise a solidly enjoyable book. So if the stuff mentioned in the previous paragraph is something you don't mind, or indeed actively enjoy, then I actually recommend it. If, however, it bothers you like it does me, I suggest staying away.… (mais)

UGH. Amazingly stupid in multiple dimensions. In the first part, the characters (particularly Sophie, but all of them) are jerked around to the author's requirements. I could maybe have swallowed a young woman talking herself around to accepting her father's choice of husband for her - but she goes out fiery in her refusal and the next depicted thought is "oh well, it will be all right...". Bleah. Then she goes off to be a musketeer - that part reminded me of The Three Musketeers. Unfortunately it reminded me of all the intensely stupid parts of TTM - especially the constant duels to the death over honor that are always stopped short of death, and usually short of wounding. And it's amazing how Gerard has stayed wounded all winter, with a wound that won't close - but mere weeks later he's fully healed, though his scar is still pink. Then we have the other two female musketeers suddenly showing up and - as happens far too often - both discovering Sophie's sex and revealing their own. The stupidity of Sophie and Gerard's marriage is pretty standard romance fare - "I must marry, because I promised (and I think you're hot, not that I'll admit that to you)" - on both sides. Then Sophie gets her Mission and goes off with the female Musketeers - and again, their sex is rapidly uncovered. Miriame manages to reveal Sophie's sex, the fact that Gerard knows of it, and Sophie and Gerard's relationship - in front of the king's men. Of course she does intend to kill them, but still (and she doesn't succeed, anyway). And somehow her taunting of Gerard gets all three of them rushing the door - why did the assassins not stand back and strike separately? They're certainly not angry at what she said. And...yeah. I could go on, but why? Poor characterization, heavy reliance on romance tropes of uncontrollable lust=true love, stupid situations...oh, one more I have to describe. So Sophie and Gerard are crossing to England. They have three horses - Sophie's Seafoam, Gerard's "fine Arabian mare", and a gelding they took from one of the king's men. They sell the gelding for their passage, Sophie being furious at the idea of losing her horse before Gerard diverts the buyer to the gelding. And then, later that same day, they go aboard ship. With no horses. The two good horses are never mentioned again. GAHHHH!!!!! Not thought through is the problem in the whole book. I don't have any other Kate Silvers, and I never will.… (mais)

RATING: 3 stars.

Sophie Delamanse always regretted being born a woman. While her twin brother Gerard got to go to the elusive and tempting city of Paris to become a musketeer for King Louis XIV, she had to stay home, learn how to sew and prepare to be married. For married she would be, to a man she'd never seen, Count Lamotte, a close friend of her brother.

When the plague strucks her village and kills her entire family, Sophie is left with nothing but an empty house and a promise from her brother's lips, that Lamotte would come for her. When that doesn't happen, Sophie, filled with sorrow and a desire for revenge on the man who betrayed her, does the unthinkable; she disguises herself as a man and enters the service of the king as... Gerard Delamanse.

A slightly different historical, "On my Lady's Honor" takes place in 17th century France during the reign of Louis XIV. We follow Sophie, who enters the musketeers (under the direction of D'Artagnan) pretending to be her brother. At first I thought it fun to follow Sophies struggles to adjust to the life in the barracks and being coached by Lamotte, the man she blames for most of her misery. After Lamotte discovers her identity it wasn't as interesting. It goes from historical romance to historical intrigue. And the intrigue is not very interesting, I must say.

As for the romance part, very little happens. There is not much tension between the protagonists and matters are settled very quickly. I didn't much like their interactions and thought this part of the plot very weak, which is bad, since this is supposedly an historical romance.

Also while this is not exactly historically accurate, the author managed to capture the mentalities surprisingly well and I liked that. The hero was definitely a product of the society of the time (although the heroine obviously isn't) and I liked how he struggled to accept Sophie as a warrior.

Overall, a nice read, but not very... romantic?… (mais)

Charity, Hope, and Faith are Puritan sisters struggling on their estate to take care of each other and their ailing father. One evening, Charity enters her bedchamber to find a wounded Cavalier named Charlie. Charlie promises not to harm her family if she will allow him to stay and take care of him. She reluctantly agrees and finds herself drawn to the strong, handsome, and dangerous man. Within weeks, Charlie is healed enough to return to France, and Charity wonders if he will ever return to England, and to her.

This is an enjoyable and adventurous historical romance. Each sister has her own unique personality and her own romance. Charity, of course, is the responsible and caring older sister who falls for the devilishly handsome Charlie. Hope is extremely religious (to the point of hilarity at times), and she falls for an equally religious and stoic young man. Faith is eager to renounce her Puritanical roots in favor of masked balls and other attractions in London. She falls for a happy-go-lucky friend of Charlie's, but she wonders if his attentions toward her are true.

For those readers who desire an alpha-male, Charlie definitely fits the bill. He is extremely jealous and possessive. There's also a lot of heat between these two. Charlie is a rake, and Charity is innocent beyond belief, which provides a mixture of comedy and passion. Charity is a kind and forgiving sort, but it is taken to the extreme throughout the book. There are times when I expected her to stand up to him more, and she does not. I can't give away much without revealing the plot, but there are times Charlie manipulates her to force his will, and although Charity attempts to be angry wtih him, it never lasts long. She does not make him suffer for his lack of trust in her, which is completely unfounded. However, I enjoyed the jealous rake who falls madly for a sweet innocent. In the end, even when he thinks she has been unfaithful to him, he considers her needs and places them above his own. There is a sweet HEA and a nice epilogue that provides a glimpse into Charity and Charlie's future.… (mais)