In Your Arms Again

Rating:
Summary: Here's the REAL review:
Review: (Harriet Klausner suckered me into buying more duds than Carter's has liver pills...until I caught wise. Now I know when she writes a 4 star review, it's usually bogus.)

The REAL review of this novel is that it's darned DULL. I kept picking it up & putting it down with no enthusiasm. Kathryn Smith wanted to tell a moving, tear-jerking love story but ended up with a silly shallow plot (the so-called mystery of who's writing threatening letters to Vie is really solved in a dumbed-down way) with a clumsy feel to its execution...There's no tension, there's no excitement. I give it 2 stars for the hero, who has some depth to him, but for the rest: heroine; plot; supporting characters; dialog; bah humbug. After reading "For the First Time" I thought Kathryn Smith was an author to watch for, but this novel is a big step backward. Stronger plotting, Ms. Smith; less heart-rending inner mish-mosh, please!

Rating:
Summary: interesting private investigative Regency romance
Review: In 1818 London, North Sheffield, although she was born on the wrong side of the sheets, Octavia Vaux-Deventry attends the gala. Twelve years have passed since North left his beloved Vie and he still cannot resist her. Still he nods no when she walks towards him as he does not want her hurt by an association with him especially as she is engaged to the kind Lord Spinton. North knows his lifestyle of stopping criminals makes him even more unsuitable for a Duke's granddaughter like Vie is.

Spinton is concerned over the notes that Vie has been receiving that seem increasingly ominous. Without Vie's permission, he shows North the letters. North says they seem harmless and rejects the case. She knows she will keep her vows to her deceased grandfather and her dead mother to marry Spinton, but still loves Norrie. She receives a new note; a concerned Spinton shows it to Norrie, who decides to investigate. To do so Norrie says he will act as a suitor trying to steal Vie away from Spinton so that they can be seen together in public. Soon love blossoms, but honor keeps both from proceeding with what they truly want.

This is an interesting private investigative Regency romance starring two wonderful protagonists and a strong support cast especially her fiancé and her cousin. Especially well done is Spinton, a good man who does not deserve to be hurt. Though the hero has trouble locating the villain while his brother and the heroine have no problems locating the killer, fans will enjoy this fine historical and look forward to future stories starring the lead male's brothers.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Really, how disappointing!
Review: OK, I'm probably going to break a rule or two of book reviewing since this is my first attempt. The first rule I'm going to break is comparing this book to Ms. Smith's previous book, "For the First Time". I absolutely loved "For the First Time". I thought Devlin and Blythe were perfect for each other and would give it five stars. When I learned it was the first book in a series, I couldn't wait to read the next book. So, as soon as "In Your Arms Again" was on the shelf, I grabbed it. Well, let me tell you. I thought the whole premise of why North and Octavia thought they couldn't or shouldn't be together was just so much BS. I mean really, promises made to dead people. And why couldn't Spinton break his engagement to Octavia when it was so obvious he was falling for Miss Henry? And the whole anonymous letter bit was lame, lame, lame. It was an obvious ploy on the author's part to get North and Octavia together. I was more interested in North's conflict with the criminal Harker. And in fact, I thought the most emotional part of the book was at the end when North's brother Brahm killed Harker. I wish she had spent a little more time on that aspect. All in all, I was deeply disappointed in this book, but it doesn't mean I won't read the next book in the Ryland Brothers Series. Anyone can have an off day, right? I wonder who's next? Will it be Winthrope the misogynist or Brahm the reformed alcoholic?