You guys know I love me some historical romance, right? Well in the last year or so I have been hard-pressed to find anything in that sub-genre that I could get excited about reading, let alone recommend to others. Seems that every historical romance I read these days is of the light, frothy, wallpaperish variety. I've read fewer titles in the last year than ever before. Either the offerings are tired, or I am, either way, I've been on a break with historical romance.
So, let me offer a huge thanks to the fabulous Donna Thorland, for her Renegades of the Revolution series. This is the kind of big, meaty, utterly engrossing writing that I crave from the historical romance genre. I expect that some might argue that DT's books are more historical fiction than romance, but in my opinion, the romance is at the center of the story in both books and it definitely drives the action and serves as motivation for the protagonists, so I'm calling it a romance. Call them whatever you like, just take my advice and read them ASAP!
The first book in the series is The Turncoat, and it starts the series off with a bang. The Turncoat features the adventures of Kate Grey, an innocent, young Quaker woman living with her father in rural Pennsylvania. As the book opens, the idea of a war seems a remote thing for Kate, however, once her home is commandeered by a dashing British officer, Kate finds herself smack dab in the middle of the coming conflict. In the spirit of all great romance heroines, Kate has more than her share of smarts and spirit and quickly becomes caught up in a world of espionage, spies, seduction and danger. The dashing young British officer, Peter Tremayne may be the enemy but he is also handsome, arrogant and immediately attracted to young Kate. The initial dalliance between Peter and Kate turns into a sweeping love story as DT immerses the reader in their turbulent world. From a personal standpoint, the most fascinating character in the book was Tremayne's cousin and our resident "villain" Bayard Caird. I haven't read a character this intriguing since I fell for Commodore Bennett Winfield in Marsha Canham's classic, Bound by the Heart. Caird is villainous in many ways, but thanks to DT's careful rendering, he is also tremendously charismatic and far too complex to be dismissed as a simple bad guy. The relationship between he and Kate was fascinating on all sorts of levels, and featured the sort of ambiguity and depth that one rarely sees in current historical fiction.
The Rebel Pirate, the second book in this fabulous series opens in 1775, near Boston. James Sparhawk, Master and Commander in the British Navy, has just commandeered and boarded a ship that is carrying ammunition and gold. With a country on the brink of rebellion, Sparhawk’s duty is clear: confiscate the cargo, impound the vessel and seize the crew. However, Sparhawk soon finds himself a hostage on the ship thanks to a young Rebel privateer. The young privateer, so carefully disguised as a boy, turns out to be a beautiful young woman, Sarah Ward. Sarah never wanted to break the law, in fact she had planned to be comfortably ensconced as a society matron after marriage to one of Salem's most successful merchants, Micah Wild. However, once her family's fortune disappeared and Wild betrayed her by marrying her best friend, she finds herself with limited options and needs must when the devil drives, so Sarah sets sail to try and restore her family's fortunes. Now branded a pirate, Sarah finds herself getting pulled deeper and deeper into the naval battles between British and Rebel forces. Her spark with the handsome James Sparhawk is strong and immediate and their desire to be together, while still supporting their individual causes, drives much of the action in this story.
The writing in both books is extraordinary. The combination of authentic historical detail, thrilling action and passionate romance is rare as hen's teeth these days and I found myself reveling in the depth and scope of the narrative. DT is an elegant writer with a real feel for pacing and the ability to create wonderfully complex characters that you will love, hate or, in some cases, love to hate as they pull you into their adventures. As a romance reader, I was thrilled that Thorland didn't shy away from sex in either book. Make no mistake, the relationships between the hero/heroine are hot and passionate, but as was often the case in the older, meatier historical romances, sex is also used as currency and for control. Spying and espionage is not a clean cut business and DT's characters are forced to make some tough choices in order to stay alive. There is an interesting thread of slightly kinky sexuality woven lightly and carefully into these stories and in my opinion, it strengthens them.
If you grew up reading books like the aforementioned Bound by the Heart, Crown of Desire by Marjorie DeBoer, This is the House by Deborah Hill (recently issued on kindle, YAY!), or The Eden Series, by the wonderful Marilyn Harris, I can almost guarantee that you'll fall in love with Renegades of the Revolution. The books mentioned all feature those epic, passionate stories, full of history, adventure and romance. They allow, even encourage the reader to lose themselves in the depth of the story and to revel in the complexity of the characters they meet. I'm thrilled to be able to place Thorland's intelligent and superbly crafted work on my keeper shelf right next to these classics.
Since nothing makes me happier than sharing great books, I'm pleased to give away an ARC of The Rebel Pirate! To be entered into the random drawing, just leave a comment telling me your favorite historical period and I'll draw a winner on February 25th. Since The Rebel Pirate isn't officially released until March 4th, you'll get a chance to enjoy this thrilling tale a bit early.
CONGRATULATIONS TO KAREN!!! the Random Number Generator picked you! Just send me your mailing address and I'll get your copy of The Rebel Pirate out ASAP! Thanks to everyone for stopping by. Be sure and check back soon, I'll be doing another ARC giveaway...
