I have now read both Stalingrad and Berlin and have very much relished the opportunity to think about the horror, sadness and chaos these two episodes caused. As a baby-boomer American living in England, looking at the sometimes foolishness of both Roosevelt and Churchill in dealing with the threat of Stalin's ambitions was an eye-opener. The utter deviousness of Stalin and the inability of so many to see what he had in mind was a sorry episode for us all. The daily life of civilians and soldiers was vividly portrayed including the helplessness of women at the mercy of Soviet troops. Beevor does bring out brief examples of humanity and honour but, overall, I can't decide whom he loathes more - Hitler or Stalin.

Stalingrad was a more elegaic work and moved me very much when I read it. Berlin angered me and made me realise that some issues are never dead.

I am interested in military history, albeit of a much earlier era (Wellington and the Peninsula). I do think this book was let down by the maps which I found annoying and difficult to interpret. Also, the selection of photographs was frustrating - I wished for pictures of the key figures in the story.

A good read and worthwhile although I feel Stalingrad was better all round.

One of the best at regency comedy, Barbara Metzger has offered up another winner with The Diamond Key. Others have summed up the plot well so there is no point in going over it again. As always, with this author, it is the witty writing, colourful characters and bizarre supporting cast that makes her work so attractive.

Metzger's command of farcical writing is brilliant. She uses word-play so effectively and gives us wonderful comedic situations so very well. I love her use, in particular, of alliteration such as "preening pea-geese" which gives a bright sparkiness to her writing.

The best running joke in this novel was the search for the perfect valet for our delicious hero, Lord Ingall. Torrie, our heroine was not Metzger's best (hence 4 instead of 5 stars) as she was a bit two dimensional which made her effect on the plot a little heavy. However, Ingall grows in the reader's eyes throughout the story and you want to cheer for him at the end. By the way, the last chapter is a delight!

I liked this book despite some criticisms I must make.

First of all, Tregatt has summed up the plot. It was very good and the setting in Russia, just as Napoleon was closing on Moscow in 1812 was very good. It reminded me a little of Dinah Dean's books in the 1980s which were set in Russia during the same timeframe.

The characters were also good: a very strong, intelligent and mature heroine, Miss Octavia Hadley, who accepts the hand fate has dealt her with dignity and stoicism. The hero, Lord Alexander Sheffield (though the author gets his title wrong), is less mature when we first meet him but grows up through this story, enabling him to reassess his own actions and come to accept himself. He has some good qualities and, of course this being romantic fiction, needs the love of a good woman to bring them forth!

The two children, Emma and Nicholas, are the instigators of the plot action, are well done and realistic.

This is a prodigal son story and one of redemption. I liked it but must agree with others that there were annoying errors. The titles of the hero's family were wrongly done and there were silly dialogue problems like "sussing out" and "dossing down" both of which are modernisms as far as I am aware.

I can recommend this book as a good read, a little different and peopled by some interesting characters. Not a keeper but worth a look.

I have now read four of Donna Simpson's novels and, judging from the reviews posted about all of her books, I think I have read the best of them.

A Rake's Redemption is about just that with a consideration of the power of love in redemption from evil - but to say that does not really do it justice. There is a measure of philosophical reflection in this story that allows the reader to understand how the hero comes to terms with his own past, learns to deal with the results of his own actions and to watch the heroine deal frankly with her own awakening sexuality.

There is also an examination of the rules of life then applicable to men and to women without denigrating either. The H/H also examine the ramifications of gambling and look at the morality of the code of honour then attached to it. Both the Earl of Hardcastle and Miss Phaedra Gillian feel very sincerely that they have the right of moral argument presented but have the grace and courage to learn to see the other's perspective.

There is little action and not a great deal of conversation in this novel and what conversation there is is not fluffy or unfocused - every interaction furthers the moral argument.

I seem to have made some rather heavy comments here but I have to say that I enjoyed this novel immensely - it was a pleasure to watch two people struggle with their hearts and minds over serious issues. Yet, love was always the key here and the growing attraction and deep love that develops between them makes this a very satisfying read.

A disappointment here - a somewhat one dimensional story along some rather incredulous lines. The whole plot seemed too artificial, too contrived and ultimately could not achieve my involvement as the reader. The H/H are not especially attractive and nothing in the narrative makes them sparkle and I found it hard to empathise with either of them. The Duchess frankly annoyed me to the point where I wanted to scream. I barely finished this one; I had nothing else to read whilst waiting for someone at a prolonged medical appointment. I can't recommend it and hovered between 2 and 3 stars for this novel.

I've now read a number of Nancy Butler's novels and, thus far, this one is the very best. A story of a mature woman and a rake with a sad and bad past is always a pleasurable plot for me. But this one was certainly one of the finest I've read and put me in mind of Heyer's Venetia and her beloved Damerel.

Jemima Vale - mature, intelligent and strong is missing something in her life - love, true companionship and (unbeknownst to her) sexual fulfilment. She meets, through the subplot of intrique and espionage, Mr Beecham Bryce - rake, reprobate, fallen angel with a hardened heart. Of course, in this sort of scenario, the H/H are never quite what they seem. Jemima is wise and caring but eager to love a man who, superficially at any rate, appears to be totally inappropriate. Bryce is a man who has willfully brought on his own downfall yet retains strong family ties and yearns to find love and completion with Jemima, a woman who proves to be his true "other half".

This is a tightly plotted story with wholly believable characters (and some brilliant secondary characters) and the story is enlivened by some of the wittiest dialague I have read in a regency novel for a very long time. Just one tiny example:

Jemima looked up at the sky, assessing the position of the sun. "I see that it is past noon. And that your innuendoes have returned, right on schedule."

Bryce's mouth drew up into a crooked grin. "I don't flatter before lunchtime; innuendo I can furnish round the clock."

Butler handles her mature heroine and flawed hero with great skill and gusto in this novel. Both are characters who come bursting to life for the reader. It's definitely a keeper and it's made me realise it is time to re-read Heyer's "Venetia" again. Very highly recommended for its plot, characters, dialogue and high levels of emotion and sexual tension.

I hovered between 2 and 3 stars for this one as 2.5 is not an option. Unfortunately, 2 stars it will have to be. This book failed to reach its potential and, for me, was too full of errors and required too much stretching of reality to keep my attention. Others have summed up the plot which, on the whole, was probably the best aspect of the book. I just kept thinking that other writers, perhaps Julia Quinn or Barbara Metzger could have given it a bit more polish and credibility. It had the potential to be very funny but sadly lacked wit and depth.

Too many errors crept in which stopped the narrative from flowing smoothly. Here are a few examples:

.... "we will never pay another red cent" - an American expression which I doubt was used in the timeframe on either side of the pond.

"Marquess Bonnington" - should be The Marquess of Bonnington. Small point but silly error.

"She took a bite of chicken. It tasted like a wrung-out piece of dishcloth" I doubt very much if a duchess of immense wealth even knew what a dishcloth was!

"I am the Duchess of Girton ... I have been the duchess for twelve years and I've run the estate for eight, since your father (eg the duke's father) became incapacitated." Wait a minute! The duke must have died 12 years ago for Cam and Gina to become duke and duchess - he couldn't succeed to the title just because his father was incapacitated.

Later on one of the other characters talks of her clothing size and going up two sizes. In those days no-one, least of all aristocrats with hand made clothing, had sizes.

I marked more instances in my copy of the book but you will see my annoyance.

I'm afraid I was very disappointed in this book. I struggled to finish it and was surprised at its silliness. The dialogue is incredulous at times and it detracted even more than the errors from the whole. I'm not sure whether to try again with the author and unfortunately, can't really recommend this book to readers who like well developed characters acting out credible stories speaking witty and believeable dialogue.

This is the first book I have read by April Kihlstrom and I did enjoy it. Not the usual sort of Regency fare, it is somewhat darker than many and there is a lot of anger and hurt for the H/H to work through. I think that the scenario the author presents of a man returning home after a long and somewhat inexplicable absence to a wife he doubts who has presented him with a son he disputes was very good and the author utilises the emotions and problems arising very well. The hero, Lord Thomas Kepley seems, on the surface to be unreasonable and hostile in his dealings with his wife, Lisbeth, upon returning from a somewhat implausbile absence and she, in turn, sometimes seems to avoid dealing with his misgivings in a mature way. And yet, despite all of this, I do think both behave in a manner that is most probably in keeping with the manners and mores of the time in which they act out their story.

This novel explores the results of real and supposed infidelity and turns upon the keeping of secrets. The kidnapping of the heroine is a little stagey but it allows the author to expedite the resolution of the various questions hanging over the main characters.

I think Kihlstrom writes well - although I have nothing to compare this book with - and my curiosity has been piqued. I now want to read the first two stories in the trilogy particularly as in the closing chapters the story of one of the previous heros is resolved in a most unusual way.

All in all a book worth reading. There is a lot of anger in this book; there is a reluctance (in modern eyes perhaps) for people to communicate effectively and trust each other yet the reactions of the H/H ring true for me. Lord Thomas is likeable but frustrating yet it is easy to see why Lisbeth loves him and never shows any desire to do other than mend their marriage.

One of my favourite Regency authors, Barbara Metzger has given us in A Debt to Delia a novel which is a real triumph. Truly bittersweet, this is a story of farce, fear, love, hope and redemption. Metzger has a gift for comedy which is second to none amongst the genre but what other author could write of a young girl dying of grief and a pregnancy gone horribly wrong, a successful (for the times) ceasarian birth, parents who learn from grevious error, a girl rescued from prostitution, death on the battlefield, ardent honour and bravery and still, despite all of this, make it a comedy?

At times whilst reading this book I hoped no one was looking over my shoulder because I was almost embarrassed to be so amused despite the utter tragedy that forms the framework for the plot ot this book. In one day there is a marriage, a death and a baptism yet through the tragedy, people are falling in love, planning for the future and reacting with real, human emotions. I still cannot figure out how the author managed it.

The H/H are both lovely: he is an over-sized macho military major with a soft heart and divine sense of honour. She is a feisty yet loyally loving girl with maturity beyond those she must look after, all of whom are older but not wiser. And, as always with Metzger's work, there is the usual cast of strange and wierd villains, wonderfully quirky servants, relatives from hell, babies, children and animals that form part of the fabric of the story.

Loved it. Absolutely loved it and recommend it most highly. If you want something different, something poignant yet funny peopled with endearing characters and nasty villains, then do read this. You won't be disappointed!

I bought 4 of Nancy Butler's novels a while ago and put them aside on the TBR pile. The Discarded Duke was the first one I picked up and I was extremely impressed. Not quite so impressed with The Prodigal Hero although I liked it very much.

I think that Nancy Butler, somewhat in the same vein as Carla Kelly, is good with characters who are not "top drawer" and are either from a humble and/or hurt background. MacHeath, our hero, is from both. Alexa, our heroine, is from a family in trade with roots even lower than his. So, in the world of Regency fiction, they are pretty unusual. Both are drawn well but the villain of the piece, a semi-aristocratic cousin of Alexa, is a little incredulous (and therefore, to a certain extent the plot) and I found him and his actions not quite believable. There is a large cast of supporting characters on both the side of good and evil and there is also some violence in the story.

My problem is with MacHeath. For a man of obvious intelligence, he seems to let an overweening sense of honour to get in his way almost until the last page. Also, I thought too many of his personal behavioural traits were attributed to his Scottish roots which, frankly, did not really add to the development to his character. Although falsly accused 10 years before the action begins, he let his over-inflated sense of pride get in the way of clearing up the situation - a somewhat immature stance to be sure. As a result, he is unable to find personal happiness in a meaningful relationship with a woman and allows himself to sink to a seamier side of life (albeit we are told without impugning his honour!). Alexa just rebels against what her father wants for her and develops a pretty thick skin and makes no headway at all in finding a suitable role for herself as she is shown as having carried a torch for MacHeath since she was 11 and is unable to move past it. Thus, it is only when circumstances bring them together that either of them make any progress and for a man of 33 and a woman of 24, they have left it rather late in life. So, of course, there are lots of obstacles to overcome.

Nany Butler uses a metaphor (MacHeath's prosthetic hand) for false pride rather well but unfortunately, I think his view of his amputation is a little sensitive in a time when a successful amputation was a triumph over clumsy surgery and rampant infections. Nor was it unusual in a time when maiming was not as uncommon as it is today.

This is an author of considerable talent. Although there are a few awkward turns of phrase scattered through the book, overall, her prose is excellent and her dialogue well constructed. I think that the Discarded Duke was better but here, nevertheless, is a very good story about people maturing and leaving behind sad and hurt pasts. I recommend this one but did not feel it was a keeper.