Review of Gareth

GARETH may be purchased here.

GARETH
Grace Burrowes

Miss Felicity Hemmings Worthington has inherited a brothel from a distant relative, but there are stipulations that she learn the business from Gareth Alexander, the Marquess of Heathgate.  If Gareth refuses, his replacement would be a despicable man, and Gareth won't allow that to happen.  Gareth is something of a rake, who inherited his title and properties after a tragic family boating accident, which killed his grandfather, uncle, father, cousin, older brother, and his fiancee.  There were rumors after the accident, that Gareth was behind the accident. and Gareth had a rough time of it.  After taking over his new responsibilities, Gareth has made his family very prosperous, but the rumors continue.  Gareth doesn't want to taint Felicity's reputation, but she is almost destitute and has a younger sister to support, so he agrees to help her.

GARETH is a historical romance, which I have mixed feelings about.  I really enjoyed the previous books in this series, and GARETH has its moments, but the first part of the book didn't work well for me.  I had a hard time warming to Gareth, because it seemed he could have done more to get Felicity out of her situation.  I, also, found his reasons for not committing to Felicity a little lame.  Felicity handles the situation fairly well, and she makes a nice heroine.  GARETH picks up toward the end and there is some excitement, surprises, and a satisfying ending.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series about Felicity's sister and Gareth's brother, who are great engaging characters.

NOTE:  I received this book in return for an unbiased review. 

Review of Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas

GARGOYLE may be purchased here.

GARGOYLE:  THREE ENCHANTING ROMANCE NOVELLAS

Beth Barany, Kay Keppler, and Patricia Simpson

In "On a Wing and a Prayer" an adorable garden gargoyle seeks to protect his owner, Beatrix, and gets some help from an unexpected place.  This novella is charming and Craig, the gargoyle, is a great character.  This is a cute story, which will make you smile.

"Touchstone of Love" is a time-travel romance, in which, Rose Walden is sent to 13th century France during a freak storm.  There Rose meets Julien, a mason, who is secretly sculpting a gargoyle to enter into a competition.  While the romance in this story is enchanting, there wasn't much of the gargoyle in the plot.  I found this lack of gargoyle a little disappointing.  

My favorite novella in this anthology, "The Miller's Daughter", is about Merofled, who has been sentenced to burn as a witch, and Alaric, who has been tasked with overseeing her execution.  Merofled's sentence is postponed, when she volunteers to go with Alaric to rescue a farmer's son, who has been taken by a gargoyle.  Merofled, who has a way with animals, realizes the gargoyle is just different and misunderstood, like Merofled, herself.  Alaric realizes that Merofled has been unjustly accused and seeks to save her.  These two make an appealing couple, who are a little ahead of their time.

Because I love gargoyle stories, I enjoyed this anthology.  I recommend this anthology to readers, who enjoy gargoyle tales.

NOTE:  I received this book in return for an unbiased review.