Madeline Hunter "Sinful in Satin"

I have a soft spot for Ms. Hunter's books from when I first read a book by her set in Medieval England where the historical period was actually an important part of the book. (Crazy I tell you!) She immediately went on my "love everything you write" list. But realistically some of her books have been better than others. I haven't been completely enamored of this series about "The Rarest Blooms."

Celia is the daughter of a famous London courtesan, educated for a life of more of the same until she ran away and found sanctuary at Daphne's house. Then her mother dies and she inherits her modest townhouse and her tenant, Jonathan. Jonathan is an Earl's by-blow and remains unsettled by the lack of acknowledgment by his father's family.

Besides her feel for the historical period, what keeps drawing me through Ms. Hunter's books are her smart interesting characters who feel very real, and seem like people you would like to have as a friend. On the other hand, in this book there are several plot points that really didn't make sense with the characterization of our super intelligent hero.

Enjoyable book, well written, lovely characters, good sex. But the conflict between who these people are drawn to be and some "move the plot along" decisions begs a lower rating.

Historical Romance 2010: 3.5 of 5 plots of intrigue.

Madeline Hunter 'The Sins of Lord Easterbrook'

Lord Easterbrook is the mysteriously retiring and eccentric older brother of the Easterbrook clan. When he sees Leona in London he is stunned, as he has never forgotten their time together in Macao, seven years ago, where her father had a trading company.

In previous books he is the quintessential powerfully inscrutable character. A wealthy and socially influential marquis who is almost completely dismissive of English society's expectations. He does not go into society except when he feels it's necessary to support his family members, which given his emotional reserve from them, is an insight into a soft heartedness that his brothers are quite surprised by.

In this book we learn Christian suffers from a prescient ability to discern people's emotions, and for some reason he can not read Leona. When he finds she is in London he is determined to have her. What is so interesting about this character is that his pursuit of her combines both sexual temptation AND support of her other interests. In other words, he courts her by being her friend and support, not just trying to fufill her sexually.

This is what I love about Hunter, when she's at her best, her characters and relationships have an extra realism to them that makes them less forgettable than other romance couples, without bursting my 'romance bubble' if you will. It goes without saying that her historical detail and feel for period enhances the books as well.

Historical Romance 2009: 5 out of 5 loose dressing gowns.

Madeline Hunter "Secrets of Surrender"

Madeline Hunter has long been one of my favorite authors. She consistently weaves the mores and realities of the historical time period she's using into her plot and storyline. Sometimes the required description and explanation for us non-historian's is a bit distracting or can feel convoluted within the context of the story, so I could understand if some people don't enjoy her as much as I do. But if you are a historical fiction lover and appreciate having the time period be more than just a notation at the beginning of the book, Hunter is for you.

It's 1826 and Rose's brother Timothy embezzled a lot of money from a lot of people and then fled to Europe. Her cousin's new husband paid off all of his victim's but it's just a matter of time before what he did becomes public knowledge. Kyle is a coal miner's son who was educated as an engineer and architect in France. He is now a man of business, making his living on the edges of polite society.

Rose makes the serious mistake of having an affair with a very nasty Viscount who puts her up for auction at a less than polite country house party. Kyle happens to be there and saves her by buying her.

Rose is smart, has fended for herself before but is also realistically swayed by various bad ideas that appear to better her sad circumstances. Kyle is physically powerful, quiet and has a razor sharp mind, he's always a couple steps ahead of me with the ramifications of each action. That's what I love about the Rothwell brother series.

The author writes people very well, granted these are very smart, self aware people, which might not be entirely realistic, but I think that is where these books fit so well into romance instead of historical fiction. This is fantasy by definition, right. The sex is down to earth, not quite as raunchy as Hoyt's books but still a significant part of their relationship, and yes, Rose is actually a romance heroine without a hymen! Amazing! Was it my favorite Madeline Hunter? Maybe not, but it's very, very good.

Historical Romance 2008: 4.5 of 5 lateral mining tunnels.

Madeline Hunter 'Lessons of Desire'

Madeline Hunter is the man. If you've read this blog a bit you'll know I'm in love with Julia Quinn's books for their humor. Well, I'm in love with Madeline Hunter for her angst. And I'm not a great lover of angst, but she does it so amazingly well. She's the frickin' master. Phaedra is the daughter of a free thinker. Her mother never married her father and she wrote pamphlets on women's rights and free love. When Elliot's family's secrets are included in her father's memoirs, he has to go to her to ask that she not publish them.

Not every Madeline Hunter book has been right on. Sometimes her historical accuracy gets in the way of her story, this one is damn near perfect. I really can't imagine a Madeline Hunter book that could be better than this one.

Historical Romance 2007: 5 out of 5 incredible stars.