And I owe my newfound affection for this word to the
talented author Anna Campbell. By chance I happened to discover her books, and
they are downright addictive and gripping. She has a strong emotional voice that
is so fitting to the historical genre. Not just that—although, of course,
there’s a tendency to modernize characters nowadays—when I read her books I
feel that she portrays her characters in a way that is realistic to their
particular period.
I first read Claiming
the Courtesan and was blown away. The reviews were controversial, and yeah,
the book is thought provoking due to its content. (Forgive my vagueness, but I’m
really trying not to spoil it for you.) There were times the hero’s actions
were quite disturbing, and other times, quite alluring. At the end of the book,
even after the satisfying ending, I was still curious about her style and what
else she could come up with.
So I moved on to His
Captive Sin. Very good—but in this one, the hero is very damaged both
physically and mentally. I like damaged heroes, but this one felt sorry for
himself for most of the book, and this made it hard for me to really like him.
Too much self-pity is off-putting. But still, Ms. Campbell’s effortless
storytelling made me want to give her one more shot.
Midnight’s
Wild Passion really got my attention. Out of all of her
books (I’ve just started the fourth), this was by far my fave. The hero, the Marquess
of Ranelaw, wants revenge from a certain Lord Demarest after the
said lord ruined his sister. He wants to seduce the lord’s daughter but instead
ends up falling for the daughter’s companion (the former Lady Antonia, a woman
who already was ruined herself). This book is crackling with strong conflict,
hot love scenes and likeable characters. If you enjoy fast-paced historical
romances, make sure you check this one out.
Now it’s time for my everyday debaucheries. Talk to
you later!
