What I Read in March

March was actually a good month for reading -- I finished seven books. For those more prolific readers, I know that seven books is not many, but considering that the major part of my reading is accomplished on a commuter bus, I feel like crowing!

What I read:

1. "The Return of the Native," by Thomas Hardy. Good solid 'A' rating for this literary classic. The discussion on the Barnes and Noble University website was hot and heavy -- many of the women participants were outspoken in their dislike of the character of Eustacia Vye, whom apparently in their eyes was the next thing to the Whore of Babylon!

2. "The Innocent," by Posie Graeme-Evans. 'B+' for this first novel, an historical set in the reign of Edward IV. The historical background was carefully recreated, the secondary characters were outstanding, the problem for me was with the heroine. She was almost too naive to be true, and I had a difficult time with her sudden maturity when she was faced with the unexpected answer to the mystery of her birth. The second book in the series ('The Exiled') is already out, but I believe the third book has not yet been published. Fans of Anya Seton, Marsha Canham, and Elizabeth Chadwick would enjoy this book -- but it is not a romance, and the adultery, plus a couple of S & M sex scenes, may bother some readers.

3. "Avalon," by Anya Seton. 'A' Beautiful re-issue of the classic Seton novel of England around the year 1000 AD.

4. "The Mysterious Miss M," by Diane Gaston. 'B' This entertaining Regency romance with a heroine who was really a whore, not a virgin hiding in a brothel, was marred for me by the almost constant presence of the heroine's little girl. In real life, I love children but I rarely care for them in romance novels.

5. "A Lady Raised High," by Laurien Gardner. 'C' Lackluster historical novel that is second in a house series on the six wives of Henry VIII. "Laurien Gardner" is a pen name shared by six authors, each of whom will write one book in the series. The problem with this book was the uninteresting heroine and narrator, a plain-faced country girl who is taken under Anne Bolyn's wing and becomes one of her ladies in waiting. Her romance with a handsome minor noble is improbable.

6. "One Little Sin," by Liz Carlyle. 'A' This Regency had the most engaging hero and heroine I have recently encountered in a romance novel. There was much humor in the book and an unexpected twist at the end of this variation of the secret baby theme. I could even tolerate long passages where the hero played with his toddler daughter without impatiently waiting for the scene to end. First of three novels by Carlyle dealing with a trio of men who have been determined to escape The Parson's Mousetrap.

7. "Green Darkness," by Anya Seton. 'A+' Reissue of the classic historical novel on reincarnation.