Uncategorized | Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Original paperback cover

My choice for June’s Book Review Club is Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, a historical romance set in 1828 Paris and England.

Loretta Chase has long been one of my favorite Regency/historical romance authors. This book balances her trademark humor with the hero’s emotional trauma.

The hero is Sebastian Ballister, the Marquis of Dane, known as the “bane and blight of the Ballisters”, a rake with a terrible reputation. The book starts with a chapter on Dane’s childhood, which is kind of a no-no in romance, but in this case was absolutely necessary. Without understand his miserable childhood, the adult Dane would have been complete unlikable, but knowing that there was a hurt, damaged child inside made a big difference. Still, there were times when I wanted to shake some sense into him.

The heroine, Jessica Trent, is the twenty-five-year-old spinster sister of one of Dane’s friends, Bertie Trent. Bertie isn’t the brightest candle in the room, so he’s easily led astray by Dane, whom Bertie tries to emulate. Unfortunately, Bertie can’t afford to lose money gambling, so Jessica and her grandmother Genevieve go to Paris to rescue Bertie from the clutches of the despicable Marquis of Dane.

Jess got all the brains in the Trent family, so she is more than a match for Dane. The clash between them is quite delicious, full of biting barbs and sexual tension. Jess is a marvelous heroine: smart, wise for her years, and Dane’s worst nightmare: a respectable woman who drives him mad with lust. Theirs is a volatile relationship, but really fun for the readers. Highly recommended for lovers of historical romance.

audiobook cover

If you enjoy audiobooks, Kate Reading’s narration is brilliant. She does a fabulous job with all the different voices, accents and foreign languages, in this case French and Italian. (Dane’s mother was Italian.) Kate Reading is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

Dear FCC: I bought this with an Audible credit and listened in the car.

Linda

As always, click on the graphic below for more great reviews in the Barrie Summy Book Review Club.

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When we have a three-day weekend, it’s easy to ignore the reason for the day off, but in the case of Memorial Day, we should remember why we celebrate. The holiday started in the years immediately following the Civil War, the most destructive conflict in our country’s history. Hardly a family or community went unaffected by that terrible war. Two of my ancestors fought for the Union. One was wounded at Gettysburg, the other at the Battle of the Wilderness. The latter lived into his 80’s with a bullet lodged in one knee.

As early as 1866, people gathered flowers in spring to decorate the graves of the fallen. For decades the holiday was knows as Decoration Day, but after World War II, Memorial Day stuck. In 1866, President Johnson declared the town of Waterloo, New York to be the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday, but other cities make competing claims.

In the South, states set aside alternate dates to honor the Confederate dead. It wasn’t until after World War I that all states began celebrating on the same day, May 30, and people began honoring the dead of all American wars, not just the Civil War.

In 1968 when Congress passed the law that created three-day weekends and since then Memorial Day has been celebrated on the fourth Monday of May. This year the fourth Monday happens to be May 30.

Grave of Unknown Soldier

Last year, I toured the Normandy Landing Beaches and the American Cemetery in Colleville, a moving experience. This single rose by the grave of an unknown brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

History.com has an interesting video about Memorial Day. Have fun, but don’t forget why we celebrate.

Linda

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Book Review Club: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase #historical #romance

Why We Celebrate Memorial Day #holiday #history