I’m not a fan of romances, but I do like me a historical romance every now and then.
So in between reading Blindness by Saramago, and We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver, I fitted in The Edge of Impropriety, by Pam Rosenthal. I find that I need to mix up my books– too much heavy reading and I’m depressed, too dark, and I’m psyched. I need light reading to liven up things, which is where The Edge of Impropriety came in.
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| Excerpt from the book: in the voice of Sydney, the 13-yr old niece of the hero |
I loved that it is so well written (I find so many romances aren’t), and then it has these characters from different walks of life, not the main characters but the supporting cast, with their own walks of life, which allows Rosenthal to reinforce her Regency setting with bits and pieces of reality. I love their voices, the perspectives they bring to the historical setting and how well they fit in with the main structure of the novel, without compromising on its genre, which remains, firmly, historical romance.
And the erotica remains subtle, well-placed, not heavy-breathing cheapness, but a tender rendering with lots of poetic detail.
Pick up this book if you like historical romances. You might enjoy reading it as much as I did.
I like romances, but usually the contemporary kind. The language in this snippet is beautiful – sounds like a great read!
I like contemporary books, but not romance, much. This is definitely a well-written book.
Like you Damyanti I have several books on the go at one time. I'm easily bored. I like a mix of thrillers, travel narratives and romantic…
Mixing up reads is the only way I can read. I'm now used to the stares I get when I name 3 books when someone asks what I'm reading at any point of time.
Thanks for the review!
Jai
It was hardly a review, but you're welcome.
I'm with M Pax
And I'm with you 🙂
Hmm, I wonder if kumquat and lychee nut were actually available in those days.
At my age, I mostly go for light reading anyway.
I wondered about that too, those flavors sound pretty modern.
Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'm not big on romances either, but I love Jane Austen and I love historical.
This was quite a bit more explicit than Austen, but tastefully done.
very cool…i like poetic prose…and the subtle eroticism is a great touch…too many slip over that edge to become cheap and trashy…cool excerpt you shared as well…thanks for popping in today..smiles.
Yes, Brian, can't take much trash myself, tho I do read it on occasion. I love how this book had romance, but it was framed by a great story.