2009 TBR Challenge for August: My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale

August Challege" Chose one from the Author List or read a book by a new-to-you author

Folie Hamilton is the young second wife of a widower with an eight year old daughter. Her husband never got over the death of his first wife, which leaves Folie neglected and lonely. Life in Toot-above-the Batch is rather dull and Folie struggles to make a life for herself and fill her days productively . The problem is exacerbated by her difficult relationship with her stepdaughter Melinda. The only thing that really interests Folie's husband is his rose garden and he leaves most everything else to Folie. That includes communication with his cousin, Robert Cambourne, who is serving as a lieutenant in the Bengal Infantry in India.

Robert is the son of one of the directors of the East India Company, but he has never fit into his fathers life or lived up to his expectations. Robert's father bought him a commission, but Robert is a failure as a soldier. His simply has no talent for it. His family's social standing protects him from being punished so he is given trivial tasks and allowed to fill the rest of his time in his own pursuits. He spends his days studying native spiritual practices under the tutelage of a "guuruu" with the idea of someday writing a book on the subject. He loves India, but he is lonely and profoundly unhappy with his life. When Folie's letter arrives it's like a breath of fresh air and Robert can't resist writing her back. Thus begins the seven year correspondence that makes up the first chapter of the book.

Via a series of letters, often with long time gaps because of the distance, Folie and Robert share their lives, their hopes and their dreams. Folie comes to see Robert as a knight out to slay dragons. Robert's feelings for Folie are made clear when he begins one of his letters, "My Sweet Folly, If you were mine . . ." They each realize that their correspondence has gone beyond the bounds of propriety, but neither one can stand the idea of letting the relationship go. That is until Folie receives Robert's last letter in which he makes a confession that destroys Folie's picture of him and breaks her heart.

Five years later Folie is a widow and has developed a close and loving relationship with Melinda. It's time for Melinda to have her coming out and Folie is determined to provide her with the best possible season. Robert is in charge of the money left to Melinda and Folie, but all issues have been handled by solicitors and Folie expects that will continue to be the case. Much to Folie's chagrin things take a drastic turn when Robert returns to England and insists that she and Melinda join him at his isolated estate.

When they arrive Folie is stunned to find that Robert is nothing like she imagined and that his life is not at all what she expected. At first she is merely confused and disappointed, but she soon comes to fear that Robert is actually mad. Unbeknownst to her Robert shares her fears for his sanity and has hired guards to protect them from enemies he isn't even sure exist. They clash when Robert demands that they remain at his home and Folie insists that Melinda must be allowed to have her season. Folie wins the argument, but once they're in London the mystery of Robert's mental state grows deeper and more dangerous. The two are forced to help each other and find themselves navigating complex social and political waters while coming to realize that feelings they believed where long dead are more alive than either one of them is prepared for.



This book languished on my TBR for a long time, mostly because it takes place during the Regency. I realize that the era is adored by many romance readers, but I just don't feel the love. It has never been a particular favorite historical period for me and there are so many Regencies that I burnt out on them long ago. As a result I rarely read them any more. Because so many people mention My Sweet Folly as one of their favorite Kinsale books I decided to make an exception, and I'm glad that I did. It doesn't focus on the elements that I associate with Regencies. For example, Folie maneuvers to get Melinda an invitation to Almack's, but the story isn't about the social issues of Melinda's season. Instead the book focuses on Robert and Folie, characters that would be unique in any genre.

I found both of them interesting and admirable and frustrating at different points in the story. I loved that they were both complex and layered enough to inspire all those feelings. I especially liked the way that Folie was able to use her experience developing a relationship with Melinda as a source of insight into how she should approach Robert. She was able to understand that he was lashing out due to fear without becoming a doormat in the face of his temper.

There were points in the story when it was difficult to imagine that these two people could have a HEA. For me that made the end all the more satisfying.

Grade: A

Hannah's Vow by Pam Crooks

Hannah Benning was raised by her con man father after her mother died when she was young. He taught her the tools of his trade and forced her to help him with his schemes. Eventually he was caught stealing and killed by an angry mob. After that Hannah's only wanted to be safe and to have a chance to make up for the crimes she had committed, so she joined a convent intending to become a nun. She spent most of her time in prayer until one day the Mother Superior requests that she accompany the local priest and one of the other sisters to the notorious local prison to check on rumors that the inmates are suffering some type of sickness and not receiving appropriate care. Hannah is loath to leave the convent, especially to go to such a horrible place, but she musters her courage and does as she is asked. When the trio arrive they find that the situation is worse than they ever imagined. When the inmates rebel against their mistreatment Hannah's companions are killed and she is take hostage by a man with nothing to lose.

Four years ago Quinn Landry was betrayed by his brother and sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The only thing that has kept him alive is his thirst for revenge and his determination to regain control of the Texas ranch that is his birthright. He has no desire to hurt a nun, but he needs a hostage in order to get away and can't afford to release her until he's back home. Hannah is horrified to find herself once again hunted by the law and is determined to escape. However, when she realizes that Quinn is sick and helpless she can't bring herself to abandon him. By the time he's strong enough to be on his own the warden is convinced that Hannah was part of the escape plan and she's in as much danger as Quinn is.

They make a pact to help each other with an agreement that Quinn will help Hannah return to the convent as soon as he has cleared his name. Their situation becomes even more complicated when they are captured by an outlaw couple who have their own reason to hate the warden. Circumstances force Hannah and Quinn to depend on each other to survive and as they grow closer they find themselves fighting an attraction that may put them in more danger than they can handle.



I enjoy western historicals which is how this book, set in 1895 New Mexico and Texas, ended up on my TBR. I pulled it out when I was looking for books for last month's TBR challenge. I didn't chose it was my official challenge book, but I was intrigued enough to keep it on the top of the pile and I'm glad that I did. There were quite a few elements of this book that were pretty standard fair. The beautiful young woman who is isn't quite a nun yet, the handsome man wrongly accused and bent on revenge, the evil brother consumed by jealousy and the evil warden consumed by greed. However, I enjoyed Ms Crook's writing style and she threw in enough unique elements to keep me interested. This is my first book by Ms Crooks and I look forward to reading more.

Grade: B+

Open Season by Linda Howard

The morning of her 34th birthday small-town librarian Daisy Minor wakes up and realizes that her life is slipping away. Everything about her is boring---her hair, her clothes, her job. All boring. Worse, she's lonely and hasn't had so much as a date in forever. She still lives at home with her mother and her aunt. She loves them, but knows that if she ever wants to have a family of her own she's going to have to make some changes. She decides that in a small town she can't afford to wait for Mr. Right to just show up so if she wants a man she's going to have to go out and find one. She decides to do a total make-over. She moves into a place of her own and enlists the help of the only gay man she knows to transform her clothes, hair and make-up from frumpy librarian to sexy party girl.

Jack Russo is the town's new sheriff. He was brought to run things after a corruption scandal ousted the previous sheriff. He's still getting to know the town and it's residents and he doesn't make a very good impression on Daisy. She considers him rude, demanding and more than a little intimidating. Of course he's also the sexiest man she's met in a long time. In spite of that she decides that she would be better off ignoring him and going ahead with her plan to visit local clubs to meet men. Her first try is less than a complete success, but she's willing to keep trying. She finds herself with worse problems than bad dates when she witnesses a crime and becomes a target in need of Jack's protection.


This is not one of Howard's more intense books. The mood is similar to the lighter parts of Mr. Perfect, although I preferred that book to this one. In this book the mystery works well enough, the characters are basically likable, and there are a few funny scenes. However, there were several things about Daisy and Jack's relationship that bothered me.

Soon after they started sleeping together Jack considered the possibility of not using a condom and getting Daisy pregnant so that she would marry him. I would consider that unacceptable no matter what, especially because they barely knew each other. What made it worse was that at that point Jack's motive was simply to stop Daisy from dating other men. He wasn't thinking about commitment as much as he was thinking about possession. Later Daisy and Jack do have unsafe sex, with the usual idiotic conversation about how they're sure it will be OK. Soon they were actively trying to get pregnant even though they had known each other only a couple of weeks and had been sleeping together only a few days. I found that so ridiculous that it ruined the end of the book for me.


Grade: C-