Saturday, January 14, 2006

Upcoming Historical Romances

Here is a peak at a few of the new and upcoming historical romances that have caught my eye. All of these caught my attention either because of the author's name or because of an attractive cover.

The Maid of Lorne by Terri Brisbin
Harlequin Historical, 1 January 2006
I think the cover of this book is beautiful. Harlequin Historicals tend to have really nice covers. Harlequin has this weird division between beautiful covers and absolutely hideous covers, and if I were an author, I'd hope to have a cover like one of the historicals. The only problem with this one is that I think it would have looked better not cut off at the neck. Most of the time the headless-woman look doesn't really bother me, but on this one it is pretty obvious.


Lady Anne's Dangerous Man by Jeane Westin
Signet Eclipse, 3 January 2006
This is another one where it was the cover that caught my eye. I think the gown that the woman is wearing is gorgeous, and it looks Renaissance to me, though I am far from an expert on historical details.


The Devil's Watch by Anne Stuart
Mira, 1 February 2006
I like the colors of this cover, they convey a mysterious feel that fits with my image of Stuart's books. I think it has been a while since Stuart has written a historical, and there are lots of romance readers looking forward to this one.


Lady of Sin by Madeline Hunter
Dell, 28 February 2006
The cover for this one is pretty boring, but I've heard snippets from others online that this one may be a return to Hunter's more rich writing style. Here's to hoping.


Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
Avon, 1 March 2006
I think this cover is pretty, though it looks more like a straight historical than a romance. Lisa Kleypas is an author I usually read, though I don't run to buy her books the day they come out. She's had a few I loved, and a few I didn't enjoy at all.


Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase
Berkley Sensation, 7 March 2006
Loretta Chase is such an exceptional author that it just seems criminal that she should get saddled with a cover like this one. This guy is weird-looking enough without his shirt hanging open while he stands in the front door soliciting like a gigolo. Ugh, it's so horrid I don't know what more to say.


The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James
Avon, 1 April 2006
Eloisa James is another hit-and-miss author for me. And this is another awful, awful cover. The huge, billowing shirt is one problem, but the true problem here is those phantom, floating hands. Where did they come from? I see no other hint of a person (woman?) behind this guy. And I don't think James writes paranormals, so there's something really wrong here.


Lady Danger by Sarah McKerrigan
Warner Forever, 1 April 2006
I'm not really big on the "medieval-woman-fights-as-well-as-any-man" genre, but I do like the look of this cover.

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3 comments:

Kristie (J) said...

They all look very good and a couple are in my TBB pile - but that dress on The Maid of Lorne. I'd never wear it of course, but I would love that dress.
What a gorgeous cover. Now if only Avon would take lessons from Harlequin

Karen Scott said...

Welcome back Beverly!!! Where have you been?

Beverly said...

Kristie -- yes, just like in their subject matter, Avon likes to recycle the same old tired formulas for their covers. And they need some real talent in their art dept.

Karen -- I've been taking an extended break, but I think I'm finally back to form.

Keishon -- I just love book covers, and I do a lot of the searching during downtimes at work, when I'll just bookmark the things I find to add to the blog once I get home. The cool thing about working in a library is that keeping up with what is going on in publishing keeps me informed at work.