Book Review

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold
by Seanan McGuire

This is the 11th Wayward Children book. Nancy, a former student at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, returns from the Halls of the Dead looking for help in saving her world. The unquiet dead have turned on the living denizens of the Hall of the Dead, killing and devouring them. The Lord and Lady of the Halls are unable to stop the onslaught, so Nancy turns to her former classmates. A handful of them answer her call for help and go with her to the Halls of the Dead to find out why the dead are destroying the living.
I enjoyed the story, which is a fairly straightforward quest. It was great to spend time with characters from earlier books. Nancy's arc in this book is really interesting. I also liked the themes around belonging, obedience vs. questioning, the different ways people find peace, and what happens when guardians fail to properly protect or care for their charges.

Book Review

Not Quite a Lady
by Loretta Chase

This is the fourth in the Carsington Brothers historical romance series and the hero is the youngest Carsington, Darius. He spends most of his time scientifically studying agriculture and the mating behaviour of animals. He spends the rest of his time as a rake, pursuing shallow and fleeting affairs. Charlotte Hayward is a gentle, beautiful, intelligent and proper lady who remains unmarried at 27. This is because she was seduced by a cad at the age of 16 and gave birth to a son that she had to give up. Charlotte does not want to marry because she does not want her past to come to light. When Darius is given the task of rehabilitating the derelict estate next to Charlotte's family estate, the two meet and their attraction blooms.
I liked most everything about this romance. There's lots of witty banter and humor. The thing I did not like so much is that Darius starts out a bit cold and sexist, viewing women as mostly silly and dull. He does get better, but I wish either he'd had less sexism to overcome or that he was more self-aware about his getting over it. It just happened, without much reflection on his part. I did like Charlotte a lot. She was extremely clever about putting off suitors, and her heartbreak over her lost child and fall from innocence was moving. I liked how Darius, upon realizing that he loved her, set about solving problems for her.