*Book source ~ NetGalley

 

Historical romances are typically depicted as being prim and proper with little in the way of steaminess. Well, they used to be. Nowadays they can be quite steamy. They also rarely tell the tales of those who keep things running smoothly for the rich and privileged. This anthology is the exact opposite with nine steamy tales of things that could possibly have happened behind the scenes of any manor house.

 

Lips Like Heaven by Donna George Storey ~ Naughty naughty. And nom! One of my favorites.

 

The Engagement Party by Alegra Verde ~ Eh. Some would call this a spanking good time, but I’m not too impressed with this one.

 

Hitting the Right Notes by Rose de Fer ~ A nice twist to this one. A favorite.

 

Wanton Wagers by Morwenna Drake ~ It’s ok.

 

The Kiss by Ludivine Bonneur ~ Least favorite.

 

The Lady and the Maid by Kathleen Tudor ~ Another favorite.

 

The Architect by Mina Murray ~ Meh.

 

Peekaboo Lace by Flora Dain ~ Oooh…love the twist ending.

 

Christmas Carol by Heather Towne ~ Another meh.

 

 

 

Even after 50-something books, Wodehouse still impresses me with how smooth he is.

I picked up this book as research for a presentation I'll be doing later this year. Written by the author of Robert's Rules of Order, this is basically a "how-to" manual for the below-stairs operations of a household in the early 19th Century.

It's written as though the author is speaking to two young men, Jonathan and David, who are entering service. Some of it is as dry as ditch water, as I'm sure you can imagine, but some of it is downright entertaining (in particular, the section on using anthracite coal). The recipes for various items, such as fireplace grate cleaner that uses lead and quicksilver (mercury), demonstrate that service was not only hard work but also dangerous.

It's not a book for fun reading, in my opinion, but it is one that authors of historical fiction might do well to include in their research.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Fourteen-year-old Rachel Harris lives with her Professor dad and hippie mom in a NYC apartment until the day her mom runs off to Spain with the super, George Vasquez. Rachel’s mediocre life is turned upside down and she decides she needs to belong to a different family. A perfect family. She chooses the Butlers, but is any family ever perfect?

 

Very well-written this tale told from Rachel’s POV kept me interested and turning the pages if only to see what train wreck was around the corner. Rachel’s mom is definitely a flake and her dad is an alcoholic, but at least he holds down a job as a Math Professor at a local private school for the rich and privileged. However, how he handles Elizabeth’s defection earns my disgust. He has a kid who needs him and he’s totally selfish. Life after Elizabeth is up and down for Rachel so she decides she’s going to become a Butler since her classmates, Olive and Edwin Butler, seem to be the model of family perfection. She tries, but never comes close to succeeding in her quest. By the end she and her dad have survived and appear to have learned a thing or two about how to be a family even if it is just the two of them. All-in-all an enjoyable read. 

Lords, Ladies, Butlers and Maids - Donna... Well, this one definitely delivers on what the blurb offers. Overall, this was a pretty good collection of stories, meaning that there were more that I liked than I disliked.

Lips Like Heaven (M/F) - The writing of this one was cute. I love when authors play with using funny and archaic euphemisms.

The Engagement Party (M/F) - I wanted this story to be part of a longer book. Really interested in what happened afterwards. Seriously, is there a book version of this story? Cause if there is, I want it. Now.

Hitting The Right Notes(M/F/F) - Less successful for me. For some reason Lily immediately came across as much younger than I think she actually was, so I was immediately off-balance and that just continued til the end.

Wanton Wagers (M/F) - Adorable! I really am a sucker for adorable couples, and I wanted to read more about Anne and John. So cute.

The Kiss (M/F) - This was the least successful story of the bunch for me. I don't like infidelity, and in the end just really did not like Sidonie. This one also ends on something of a cliffhanger. Not sure if it actually leads to more, or was just written to leave the reader guessing, but it definitely leaves you wondering what happened next.

The Lady and the Maid (F/F) - I got the idea of this one pretty early on, and it just isn't my thing so I skimmed it. Well written and seemed sweet.

The Architect (M/F, F/F, M/F/F implied) - This story seemed to want to shove too much into too short a medium. It felt like a larger story truncated to just the sexy bits. Would have been better with more character development but of course there wasn't room.

Peekaboo Lace (M/F) - Interesting until it was confusing, and then I was interested again because I wanted the confusion cleared up. Too bad I'm still confused about what exactly their relationship was and why she was running all over England with him chasing behind.

Christmas Carol (M/F) - Words not to use in sexy scenes: Chewing. Bloated. Hairy. Mauled. Thoughts I was left with at the end? Enjoy that UTI, Carol.

ARC courtesy of HarperCollins UK, Avon, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.