Thursday, February 26, 2015

[Book Review] Island of Dreams by Patricia Potter

Fiction/Romance

Reader’s Advisory Romance Genre Review
Carolina reviews ISLAND OF DREAMS by Patricia Potter (HarperPaperbacks,1991)
Jekyll Island, off the coast of Georgia, is Meara O’Hara’s island of dreams. She is a young, twenty-two-year-old lady on her way to college to be a journalist. She is on vacation with the wealthy family she nannies for when she meets the irresistible Michael Fielding. What Meara doesn’t know is that Michael is an undercover German spy sent to sabotage the wealthy families of Jekyll Island. What Michael doesn’t know is that Meara is the woman of his dreams and the one person that makes his betrayal that much harder.
Twenty-one years after the act of betrayal, Meara returns to the island. She and her daughter are in danger, but do not know it yet. An enemy of the past returns for revenge. Meara only has one person to turn to--the one who had so badly shattered her life and security twenty-one years before.
Set during the 1940s, Island of Dreams is a riveting page turner for the historical fiction fan. As one who normally does not read romance novels, this book kept me up late at night unable to put it down. I definitely would recommend this book to both romance and non-romance fans. It is a great book and one that I would reread!

Carolina Salcedo, Randolph Library

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[permalink] posted by Memphis Reads : 11:34 AM  0 comments

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

WHAT PRICE LOVE? by Stephanie Laurens

Recently I checked out Stephanie Laurens' latest, WHAT PRICE LOVE?, from the Popular Library. There is much action and a lot of steam (i.e., the love story is more sensual than innocent). Laurens delivers a riveting, fast-paced love story that matches two headstrong protagonists. Her heroine, Lady Priscilla Dalloway, is a drop-dead gorgeous, fiery Irish maiden. Her lover is Dillon Caxton, equally handsome, equally tempetuous. They first clash when she storms into Newmarket, Suffolk in order to rescue her twin brother Russell. He's taken a job as a horse breeder, far below his station in Society. Russell's new boss is involved in a plot to fix horse races, a scheme which led to the murder of the previous breeder. Dillon is the guardian of a register of race horses that holds the key to exposing the conspiracy. He refuses to let Priscilla examine the register. She refuses to tell him why she must.
According to the book jacket, Laurens' "series of historical romances set in Regency England. . . has captivated readers, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors."

I had heard the term "REGENCY ROMANCE" before and wondered what it meant. I consulted ROMANCE FICTION: A GUIDE TO THE GENRE by Kristin Ramsdell:

"[T]he Regency Romance (primarily set during 1811-1820) is essentially a novel of manners and social custom. The emphasis is on the characters, their relationships, and their places within a highly structured society. . . . Set within the limited sphere of London High Society, these charming confections describe a glittering, aristocratic world in which one's place in Society and acceptance by the ton are Everything." (p. 187)

Although high levels of skill in accomplishments. . . are admired in the Regency hero, these are not novels of action. . . .[M]ost of the real action is verbal and takes place at the numerous social functions--balls, routs, country weekends, nights at the opera, dinner parties, picnics. . . ." (p. 188)


This brief period in English History refers to the years that the Prince of Wales served as Regent after his father George III was declared insane.

Clearly Laurens' WHAT PRICE LOVE? is more of an historical romance set during the Regency than a Regency Romance.
Learn more about Stephanie Laurens.
For your consideration:


Doris Dixon, Raleigh Branch Library

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[permalink] posted by Memphis Reads : 11:25 AM  1 comments

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