I love this gentle romance, which explores how two people, through sheer politeness, respect, and upper-class British reticence, end up in a conventionally distant arranged marriage instead of the affectionate, loving union they both desire… and how they eventually find their way to the real marriage they long for (with a little outside help from an unexpected quarter.)
Mary Robinette Kowal makes good use of the historical “year without a summer” in the third book of her Glamourist Histories. As Britain remains locked in winter’s grip, Jane and her husband Vincent are in London to work on a glamour commission for Lord Stratton, an Irish peer. Hearing that her sister Melody is melancholic and realizing there are few marriageable men near home, the Vincents invite Melody to stay with them. Melody’s growing affection for Stratton’s son, Mr. O’Brien, is complicated by Jane’s suspicions of the young man, and by the public’s growing belief that coldmongers are responsible for the unseasonable weather. Meanwhile, Jane and Vincent must contend with his father’s relentless cruelty and ambition, as well as a shadowy plot that threatens O’Brien, the young coldmongers, Jane and Vincent’s very lives, and even the British government itself.
Painters and deck construction and Covid, oh my!
Also, a look back at this week’s writing, reading, reviews, and blog posts, plus the weekly book haul!
We have new floors! Next up: the deck and fresh paint in about half the house.
Also, a look back at this week’s writing, reading, reviews, and blog posts, plus the weekly book haul!
A quick look at what I read, what I reviewed, and the state of my challenges and resolutions.
It has been a whirlwind two weeks, y’all. A family vacation followed by a week of packing up four-fifths of what we own to store during the renovations.
Also, a look back at the last two weeks’ reading, reviews, and blog posts, plus the book haul!
This week’s links include: Sales of books by Kamala Harris and JD Vance are up; ALA Conference resurges; Project 2025 and books; romance novels and disability rep; and best-books lists.
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Amanda Quick’s books are always fun, and I plowed through Wait Until Midnight in two sittings. I particularly enjoyed Caroline’s career as writer of serialized “sensation novels,” which were extremely popular in the Victorian era. Adam has an interesting backstory as well, though to my regret, it wasn’t really developed as well as it could have been.
I spent the week packing stuff away for the remodel, and packing my suitcase for a family reunion.
Also, a look back at this week’s writing, reading, reviews, and blog posts, plus the weekly book haul!
