A Heart Revealed by Josi Kilpack

    
     Thomas Richards has come to London from the wilds of Yorkshire to find a wife. Instead, he finds himself uncomfortable among the ton with their insincerity and manipulations. Thus, he cannot understand why he is so drawn to Amber Sterlington, the Rage of the Season.  Her beauty is dazzling, but her manners deceptive, and she is definitely beyond his reach.
     Amber Sterlington knows her purpose.  She's been raised for this season.  She knows she can choose whomever she wants, and she wants a husband with a title and a fortune.  Love has no place in her decision; neither does Mr. Richards, third son of a country lord.
     But, within a matter of weeks, her standing within the ton is compromised, then destroyed when she is publicly disgraced.  Her parents pack her off north to spare themselves the embarrassment.  She must survive alone with the exception of a maid, and Amber must face and then accept her new place in the world.
     Of course, regency romances are predictable and perhaps that is why we come back to the Cinderella elements so often present in them.  We can depend on these novels' plots.  But, what keeps me reading are the characters, and Kilpack is a master of character development. 
      Amber isn't very likeable in the beginning with her tantrums, manipulations, and cruelty.  She is playing the game her society has set her up to play, and she means to win.  Once she is cast off by this society, she struggles.  Thankfully, she isn't suddenly a humble, kind woman of character.  Kilpack works Amber.  Her transition is incremental: a little change here, a small epiphany there and slowly, realistically she develops.  She becomes genuine, real.  This is the part of the story I loved, Amber's growth.  Of course, the potential for a relationship with Richards and the tension created by her desire to protect herself from further rejection drew me into the plot of the novel.
       I highly recommend A Heart Revealed to romance readers, especially those who want to see the characters who become more than just stereotypical romance heroes.

 

Becoming Lady Lockwood by Jennifer Moore

     Coerced into a marriage by proxy that she never wanted by her absentee father, Amelia Beckett is pleased to be a widow.  Now she can run her sugar plantation without the interference of  chaperones and with the validity her new title, Lady Lockwood, gives her in a man's world.
      Captain Sir William Drake has crossed the Atlantic with a single desire. Haul his brother's widow, Amelia Beckett, back to England to face his charge of fraud, and he has the power to do it.
       At cross purposes, Amelia and the Captain clash immediately upon introduction, and their animosity sets the stage for love, as all good Regency Romances do.  Aboard ship, they cannot completely avoid one another.  Through tempest, battles, and the demands of daily life aboard ship, the two gain respect and even admiration for one another.  But, forces are at work against them and a future together looks bleak upon their arrival in London.
       Hopefully, someone drawn to such a romance does not have grand illusions of a deep philosophical read because disappoint would surely result. 
       Becoming Lady Lockwood entertains and delights.  The characters are clever, flawed, and go far beyond the stereotypical romance characters.  I liked Amelia. She is kind and willing to work, characteristics that are developed from the start of the novel, as is her singular, even naïve outlook on life.  I liked the Captain.  Tending to be a tad arrogant (not unusual for a Sir and a Captain), he is brought back to reality by his best friend and first mate on a regular basis through good humor. Careful attention is paid to the details in the story greatly improving the believability.
     I enjoyed thoroughly this escape novel.  A perfect read for spring break.
   

The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins

     Rachel follows the same routine every week day.  She boards the train for London and comes home every evening warmed by some form of alcohol.  She mourns the life she lost, the ex-husband who has moved on and created a new life. So what's wrong with slipping into the life of the perfect couple, for a moment as her train pauses daily where Rachel can watch that couple cozily sharing breakfast on their deck. 
     Nothing is really wrong with that until it is wrong, very wrong.  Rachel sees something she wasn't meant to see as she gazes for a moment at her perfect couple.  Suddenly, she is mixed up in a mess she really can't comprehend, and as she trips, stumbles, blunders about in other people's lives and a police investigation, she only manages to makes things very dangerous for herself.
     Frequently I avoid books that come with front loaded expectations because others have raved about how awesome sais book is, but The Girl on the Train intrigued me.  Well written, painful, and even exciting, ultimately this novel failed me because I caught on quickly who the bad "guy" really was.  I'd still recommend the novel for those who love a good thrilling mystery.  Most people I know who read it loved it.