My Keeper Shelf, #MFRWAuthor Blog Challenge
A Keeper will keep me sane
For me, Christmas is not so much a red and green time of year as it is a blue time. Memories of family conflicts and holiday deaths, and the general strain of making everything perfect for everyone ride into my house on the back of the “black dog” every December.
The “black dog” isn’t a canine, or, God forbid, a racial reference–to me it’s Churchillian. Winston Churchill eased his periods of melancholy by painting or building brick walls. When I have to deal with a stressful time, like Christmas, I pull out my favorite novels.
The Books
Mr. Impossible
This Regency romance by Loretta Chase is one of the books in her Carsington brothers series:
Rupert Carsington, fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, is his aristocratic family’s favorite disaster. He is irresistibly handsome, shockingly masculine, and irretrievably reckless, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. Still, Rupert’s never met an entanglement–emotional or other–he couldn’t escape. Until now.
The story takes place in Egypt, and is chock full of interesting tidbits about European adventurers’ pursuit of ancient treasures.
The book has a new cover, but I like this old one better.
Lord Perfect, the eldest Carsington brother’s story, is also one of my favorites to reread.
The Forbidden Rose
This historical romance set during the Terror of the French Revolution is one of Joanna Bourne’s best. Here’s how the author introduces the story on her website:
As usual, civilization has fallen with a basso profundo clatter and all right-thinking people are at each other’s throats. In Paris, the guillotine’s doing a roaring business. Civil war batters and bashes its way across the countryside. On the philosophical front, the world’s teetering on the cusp of old loyalties and new.
Maggie’s caught in the center. Her old certainties have been swept away. Love and loyalty pull in different directions. To survive, she’ll become someone she barely recognizes.
And Doyle … our Doyle is playing the detached loner. This is maybe not so smart when half of France is after his neck.
So there you go! Three of my favorites, and there are more I’ll probably think of later.
What’s on your keeper shelf? Hop along with my fellow MFRW authors and see what they like to read.
Images: MFRW meme, book covers are from Amazon (Chase) and the author’s website (Bourne)
Adding two more books to my “want to read” list!
Anything by Loretta Chase or Joanna Bourne is great!
I agree about the holidays. If I’m not reading for sanity, I’m writing. Nice post.
Thanks, Helen!
Clearly you are into historical romances. I’ve heard good things about Loretta Chase; I guess I should look into Mr. Impossible.
Ed, try Lord of Scoundrels, by Loretta Chase. It shows up on a lot of the best of the best romance books.
If you’re following these posts or checking in late, I want to apologize for making a late appearance. I had a baby shower for my daughter and was going crazy with planning, preparation, and partying!
I haven’t read historical for a long time. It’s time to give Loretta Chase a try.
Her stories are wonderful. She’s up for a Rita again this year.
I picked up Lord Perfect.
Now to find time to read it, but I’m ready for a break. Thanks!
Let me know what you think!
I’ve not read many historical romances lately. When I first got into reading romance I read those and of course the quick Harlequin reads.
I only seem to step out of my historical comfort zone when I judge contests! I can see from the blog hop I need to get around to some of the other romance genres!