Tag: Janice Bennett

Guest Review: Haunting Flame by Janice Bennett

Posted February 6, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Haunting Flame by Janice Bennett

When Captain anthony, Lord Lambeth, returns from the Peninsular War, he is crippled in both body and spirit. He has just inherited an estate in desperate need of repairs and no money to make them. he can’t stomach making the marriage of convenience his family urges on him, avoiding it by vowing to fulfill a promise to his dying friend to look after his impoverished little sister–by marrying her.<

The lively Calpurnia Rycroft has worshipped Tony since they were children and is appalled by his depression. She agrees to an engagement to give him time to recover, though it will break her heart when he eventually marries someone more suitable.

The ring he gives her turns on her hand and a ghostly flame emerges from it. Callie realizes the ghost wants something from her–but is it revenge or help? the search is on to find the answers, but as Tony’s spirits improve, Callie sees her chance of love slipping away.

This is really a historical ghost story in many ways but at the heart of it is a very engaging love story. These two people have been friends since forever and have a history that is both competitive (in the way of long-time friends) as well as familiar and comfortable. That neither one recognizes that their feelings go deeper is to be expected as the years of friendship often disguise what is, underneath it all, a deep and abiding love that is durable and goes beyond the level of infatuation or sexual attraction. That Calpurnia has developed into a beautiful woman comes as a surprise to Tony who has tended to always view her through the eyes of adolescent friendship.

Now there are indeed ghosts at the old family home–ghosts that are troubled and who almost immediately not only make themselves known to Tony and his mother but Calpurnia as well. They know who she is, and they know that she wants something from them. In addition, the household includes Tony’s second cousin who has made a name for himself as a gambler that loses a lot, and Tony’s widowed sister-in-law, married to his selfish and self-centered now-dead brother, the man who reduced the family fortunes to almost nothing through his excesses and thoughtless spending.

All the characters in this book are unique in their own way and each stands out as a “player” in the development of the story. Callie and Tony each find that their attachment to one another is greater than they first suspected, but because of his war injuries Tony feels that he is unworthy of Callie, while Callie sees herself as an unworthy mate for Tony because of her poverty. And in the way of romance fiction, neither opens up in honest communication.

Romance fans will appreciate that there is a love story here as well as subplot that involves romance as well. Those who like a ghost story will find this mild in many ways but interesting, nevertheless. And of course, resolving the mystery why the ghosts–yes, there are two of them–keep on appearing and disappearing, just enough that they have the household in an uproar. Callie is not willing to be satisfied with the initial discoveries. She wants to know the entire ending, believing that the ghosts will only rest once the whole mystery is solved.

I found this book so very readable, the characters interesting, the historical references authentic, and the dialogue full of the relational energy that sparked between Tony and Calpurnia as well as the other household residents. It is not heavy reading and not terribly complicated, but it is well-written to the extent that it kept my interest and I thought the story worth taking the time to read. I actually went back and re-read the story before writing this review and found I was not at all bored. I think lovers of historical romance will find this to be a light-hearted but very interesting read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Cerridwen Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

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Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, Cerridwen Press, Guest Reviews, Historical Paranormal, Janice Bennett, Judith's Reviews, Reviews

Guest Review: Starlight Wish by Janice Bennett

Posted November 6, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment

Judith‘s review of Starlight Wish by Janice Bennett.

When Major Aubrey Kellands becomes the fifth Earl of Daventry, he returns from the Peninsula to the ancestral home he has not seen in eleven years. He finds both household and estate in complete chaos and decides he needs a sensible wife to help him restore order. His whimsical wish on a star brings Xanthe—his fairy godmother—and her cat Titus. Xanthe announces she will hold a house party over Christmas at his home, thus granting him the opportunity to find the wife he truly needs.

Miss Desdemona Lynton is lively and mischievous—the exact opposite of the wife Daventry seeks. Her humor—and her relentless pursuit of housebreakers who plague the neighborhood—enthrall him despite his best efforts to ignore her. His heart and his head are in deep conflict, and only Xanthe’s magical humming can help him discover that what he really needs—and wants—is love.

This novel is really a historical fairy tale, one that is for grown-ups, to be sure, but a fairy tale nonetheless. It it complete with historical setting, balls and beautiful maidens, the search for love and marriage, and the standard fairy godmother, although Xanthe is anything but standard. Between her and Titus, her magical cat, they are well aware that the military major that is home from the Napoleonic Wars is not even close to being in touch with his feelings nor is he really aware of the fact that one does not run an aristocratic home like a military base. Admittedly, his staff is a total nightmare and Xanthe needs to make some quick changes, but between an elderly, infirm butler and a drunk lazy housekeeper, the earl is just about at his wits end. Combine that with the fact that the house party filled with unmarried maidens and their conniving mothers does little to ease his unrest or do much for his good humor.

This is a very cute book. The fairy godmother and the cat are a hoot. The fact that Xanthe just hums whenever she wants to enact some magic is a bit of a surprise. No magic wands here. But she gets the job done, that’s for sure. There are the usual push/pulls between the mothers and the countess-wannabees, there are other suitors in attendance–one must always have equal men and maidens, and there are burglars and robberies afoot.

Miss Desdemona Lynton is what we would today call an airhead. At least on the surface that is what she appears to be–one of those social butterflies who have had several successful London seasons and who has had numerous offers of marriage. Yet she is still unwed and still one of the most beautiful girls at the ball. The earl’s heart is definitely engaged, but he is absolutely prepared to forego the urging of his heart in order to have a wife who can keep his home and his life orderly and sane. Desdemona is anything but orderly, or at least so she appears. Needless to say there is more going on beneath the surface on several fronts in this novel. The mystery of the home robberies seems to surface occasionally, never interrupting the flow of the search for the wife, but it is always there in the background. Ms Bennett has skillfully woven that aspect of the story in and out of the foreground.

I have to admit that I think these Regency/historical searches for a wife to be so very humorous. Everyone is trying so hard to catch the bachelor. The bachelor is running as hard as he can without seeming to do so. The men of that time seem to look upon marriage as truly a ball and chain kind of experience. So much for romantic love which is the primary foundation in American culture. This story is rife with humor and tongue-in-cheek moments. And one can almost feel Desdemona’s distress when she is dismissed as a flightly, less-than-substantive female as compared to some of the other maidens in the running.

All in all, this is a delightful historical fairy tale and it is one that historical romance fans will find sheer fun and reading enjoyment. I highly recommend it for that reason. I give this novel a rating of 4.25 out of 5.

This book is available from Cerridwen Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.