Raleigh Reviews

What more can you ask of a regency!

Lord Giles Carlton, a handsome, ex-military and agent of the crown stumbles into trouble when he meets the disguised Roma Allendyle. The once happy-go-lucky rake finds himself falling for and tricking the unsuspecting, unconventional Roma into wedlock!

Roma is in search of her missing brother, another one of the crown's agents, only to be thwarted at every turn by Giles. Giles is operating under the mistaken belief that women were fragile creatures and should be sheltered at all costs -- hence his attempts to take over her investigation into her brother's disappearance!

This is a good weekend read. It does take a bit too long, in my opinion, to actually find the missing brother. But once he's found, all is well & ends quiet happily!

Really entertaining. Takes you back the post-depression days in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina.

Read it. Is not the best, but is interesting. Some few parts are boring

The life of Sir Walter Raleigh will certainly seem quite strange to young students who read Tanya Larkin's biography for the Famous Explorers series. After all, here is a famous explorer, who ends up spending more years imprisoned in the Tower of London than he does exploring the New World. Young readers will learn about the times in which Raleigh lived, when Protestatns and Catholics were clashing across Europe and the New World was ripe for the picking. The story of Raleigh laying down his coat for Queen Elizabeth is a minor detail in terms of their relationship, which Larkin tries to explain. But the primary focus is on his attempts at exploration, sending the expedition to Roanoke that disappeared and later looking for a golden city in the jungles of South America. In fact, when you come down to it, Raleigh is probably accomplished far less than any other "famous" explorer. This book is illustrated with historic engraving and some very old maps, which I found particularly intteresting. Other Famous Explorers titles include John Cabot, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Hernando de Soto and Sir Francis Drake.

As a fairly avid hiker, I found little to no value in this book whatsoever. On a positive note, it did provide minute details on what to expect on the trails, as well as important safety precautions for individual parks both with regard to weather conditions and wildlife. Nonetheless, its shortcomings outnumbered its merits.

First, the book is geared almost exclusively towards the foreign traveler. It spends the first section of the book covering issues of concern to those unfamiliar with customs and practices of the United States. This was not the major difficulty I had with the book, however. The hikes and travel routes suggested all expected the reader to enter the park/trail from one side, hike through, and exit from another side of the park. In some parks there are shuttles provided to and from sections of the park (i.e. Zion), but in my experience that is the exception rather than the rule. Many of the hikes spanned twenty or more miles in a single direction and unless you had a car waiting on the other side of the park, they present a huge logistical difficulty for most people driving to their destinations.

I was very disappointed to find no round-trip backcountry hikes in this book and wound up returning it several days after purchasing it because it was useless to me. Serious hikers are better off consulting ranger stations at the individual parks to get detailed information on hikes. Rangers can advise you on what types of hikes are best for you based on your skill level and how long you want to be in the woods or on the trails. Though I can see how an international traveler might find some of the information valuable, this book was disappointing and impractical for my purposes. The useful information it provided can easily be found in a multitude of other sources.

This tries, although admirably, to cram a lot of country into one book.

This book is quite unique in terms of hiking selections and a valuable book for anyone who wants to experience some of the best of what the U.S. has to offer in terms of hiking and backpacking.

One of the most unique aspects is that it focuses on a handful of the best hikes in the most scenic locations in the U.S., not just the best hikes in every state. Let's face it, the scenery in every state is not created equal! You would have to read 40 books and thousands of pages to try and figure out which hikes are the most most spectacular, the hikes most worth the effort that hiking and backpacking can demand. This is the only book I have come across that has done this for you and done a good job at selecting the some of the very best hikes.

Another unique aspect is the hiking maps, which I found very easy to read with out knowing anything about maps. I am sure that topographic maps are more detailed and required for wilderness survival, but these mini trail maps are user friendly and easy to understand without having mapping knowledge.

There are certainly many other great hikes in these and other locations, so I am hoping for a sequel. And also another edition that will follow the same format entitled "Hiking Our Planet!! Can I pre-order before it is written?

Generally I enjoy anthologies and am willing to forgo deep character development which is not something that is easily done in the shorter format of 90 to 120 pages or so. Also, I am partial to "rogues" - so why the two star rating? I found myself very bothered by the lack of understanding of the Regency period displayed to some extent by all the authors!

**Lady Jane's Lover - Candace McCarthy**- Jane Graham, niece of an Earl, acting as his daughter's companion, is stranded when said daughter runs away with the "coachman"! Ambushed and then rescued by a passing horseman who is wounded in the action- the rest of the story involves Jane nursing her rescuer back to health in a convenient (and unexplained) well stocked empty "cottage". Turns out she knew him from her childhood. I actually liked Jane and Broc and enjoyed their relationship - however I found it impossible to believe that 1) Broc (son of a Baron) had been cast off by his father because of an amorous adventure (his father might have paid her off IF he believed her) that 2) Jane would not have been severely blamed for her cousin's actions by her aunt and uncle and 3) that said cousin would expect ever to be forgiven for her action, let alone be accepted..... ah well. Plus titles were a bit muddled. (one star)

**Beyond Temptation - Linda Madl** - Eden Roseby youngest of seven daughters of a clergyman has (as the youngest) been Chosen to care for her clergyman father in his old age. Arranges a single night of passion with an initially reluctant "rake" - Anthony, Viscount Romleigh. The romance between Anthony and Eden is well done; Eden's father is unexpectedly intriguing and likeable. Problem? Mr Roseby is the brother of a Duke - so he is really the Rev Lord James Roseby - why doesn't he use his title? Never explained. Also the villain of the piece is the local baronet who controls the vicar's living and threatens him with losing it. I don't think so!!! If one's brother was a Duke, the ducal family would have arranged the living! Just do away with this connection and the story would be a lot more believable. The "duel" is a treat!!! (two stars)

**Night of Seduction - Debbie Raleigh** - Charity Malone, spinster daughter to a scholar, long time friend to Anthony Lord Caldwell - occasional neighbor (when he wants to escape society) wants to find a way to comfort him when he starts drinking heavily and threatening suicide on blaming himself for his younger brother's death. She accidentally catches his attention when he finds her in his garden "veiled in the mist" and doesn't recognize her.... Once I could get beyond the improbability that Charity and Anthony had ever developed a friendship - this is a pretty good read. Charity's background and situation (as daughter staying at home to care for her father) are realistic and matter of fact; also Charity recognizes her feelings for Anthony are largely (in the beginning) based on the fact that she has met no other really eligible gentlemen. She also has a perfectly good reason for sneaking through Anthony's garden in the dead of night! (three and a half stars)

First story is titled "Lady Jane's Lover" by Candace McCarthy.

Jane Graham never expected Catherine to elope and abandon her. But that was exactly what happened. As much as she dreaded it, Jane would have to return home and inform her uncle, Earl Hamilton, that his daughter had eloped. Yet while traveling home she was set upon by highwaymen and rescued by Broc Lawson, the handsome nobleman she had adored for so long. Since Broc had been injured while rescuing her, Jane found shelter and began to tend him. Sooner or later the earl would send out a search party. However, being so close to Broc made her want more.

Second story is titled "Beyond Temptation" by Linda Madl.

Eden was the youngest of the Vicar's seven daughters and had chosen to act as his caretaker. Knowing she would never marry, she chose "Tony" (a.k.a. Viscount Romleigh), to be her lover and give her one night to treasure forever. Once done they would part with no regrets. Eden never expected Tony to follow her to the remote little village of Hadding Green.

Third story is titled "Night Of Seduction" by Debbie Raleigh.

Charity Malone had loved Anthony, Lord Caldwell, for years. He had grown up as her neighbor and friend. When his younger brother died in a duel, Anthony blamed himself. He began drinking heavily and sinking into depression. Charity feared what he planned to do with his dueling pistol and decided to steal it during the night, then bury it in the garden. But Anthony caught the feminine figure in his garden. She was veiled in mystery and cloaked in darkness. He thought of her as a fair wood sprite, created of mists and moonlight, just for him. The mystical encounter snapped him out of his depression and he looked forward to seeing her each midnight. Charity, though, decided to let herself have on night with Anthony and then let his mystery woman disappear forever.

***** Needless to say, THIS BOOK ROCKS! Each story is downright enthralling. In fact, delightful dreams can not help but happen if you go to bed shortly after reading any one of these tales. This novel will be forever labeled under the file, "Things that make you go 'Ahhhh'." *****

The "Editor" of this propaganda is a polemicist for the Palestinian attempt to destroy the State of Israel.

This book shows work up to 1996, so it does not contain any events from the past five years, or deal with the daily violence that we see on the news today. However, it does show that the violence is nothing new, and is not exclusive to the "Arab terrorists." The main focus of the book are how both sides view peace, showing the suffering on both sides. A point of view which never gets aired in the US media is represented by Israeli artists who openly acknowledge the brutality their government has forced upon the Palestinians. The book shows posters that foster peace between the two people, and were banned by the Israeli government.

Anyone who has any real understanding of this troubled region knows that true peace can only exist between equals, and that despite all the name calling, both the Palestinians and the Jews have a right to live with dignity.

From a graphic point of view, much of the posters from Israel maintain a more familiar Western commercial look, while many of the Palestinian works resemble the grafitti that covers the refugee camps.

If you want the truth, the struggle, the passion seen from both sides, begin here. Including are beautiful, intense posters, poetry, and more from Palestinian and Israeli artists. But this book goes beyond images and words, it goes into the hearts of the Palestinians and Israelis who want peace: a peace that can only be obtained by listening to the PEOPLE, setting disruptive, invasive, militaristic politics aside.

I cannot recommend this book very highly, despite a spirited heroine and some decent secondary and minor characters. For one, the basic plot was far better done in Beverley's DEIDRE AND DON JUAN. For another, the hero's actions were thoroughly self-centered for most of the book. From my point of view, the realization that he comes to near the end (that the ends do not justify the means, and that true love means sacrifice) comes rather too late to redeem this particular hero. And unfortunately, his own backstory - including the gypsy blessing - was not sufficiently interesting to redeem this character and ultimately this story.

The hero has spent 5 years at war, without writing to his betrothed wife, an heiress (through her maternal grandfather a Cit). She was in love with him when he left for the battlefields, but she has since fallen out of love with him. Or so she says. At any rate, she refuses to marry him when he returns, prompting angry rebukes from her mother (a faded lady consumed with the desire to please those higher in rank) and her would-be mother-in-law (a thoroughly selfish, egoistic, and unpleasant woman). Isa's father does not appear in the book (unless I am mistaken), and he clearly married Isa's mother for her money and left for happier hunting grounds once a child was born (and presumably his income secured by the settlement). Isa's grandfather does appear in the book, and he sounds a rather interesting man.

Unfortunately, Isa's choice of preferred husband is much the same as Deirdre's preferred husband (in the book by Jo Beverley). Isa, like Deirdre, has mistaken scholarly ambition for decency, affection, and love. [Nothing wrong with being a scholar, but Isa's would-be husband Peter Effinton is clearly not going to be a family man]. Unfortunately, Isa does not realize this completely, even when Effinton shares his vision of the future with her.

I was a little puzzled by discontinuities here and there, notably a scene where Isa's mother suddenly becomes Louise. [Surely, mothers and daughters were not on first-name terms in the Regency].

The writing was not bad, but it did not sparkle. The plot was adequate but not inspired. The characters were average, with nothing in them (their backstories, their mannerisms, their friends, their hopes and dreams, their personalities) that particularly made them stand out from the usual hero or heroine. A rating of 2 stars may seem harsh for an average romance, but I have read so many better this year.

Rating = 2.7
Recommended only with reservations
Edited July 22, 2002 for grade

This is the second installment of the 'A Rose For Three Rakes' trilogy, and while it is not quite so light hearted as the first installment, "A Bride For Lord Challmond", it nonetheless possesses a very soul satisfying storyline.

Barth Juston, Earl of Wickton, has decided that he cannot put off marrying Isa Lawford any longer. He is near penniless and his estates badly needs the influx of hard cash that Isa will bring to the marriage. So, nobly he curtails his pleasurable activities in London and leaves for Kent in order to claim his bride. However he suffers a great shock when Isa calmly informs him that she has no intention of marrying a selfish rake, and that she intends to marry someone else. Isa's father was a bit of a selfish rake who had married her mother for her mother's money, and Isa has no intention of having the same kind of marriage her mother had. Furthermore, Isa is more than a little hurt at Barth's casual dismissal of her feelings and affections all these years.

Not one to have his plans thwarted, Barth plans an aggressive campaign to rid himself of his rival and to win Isa's affections. Isa immediately sees what he is doing, and she cannot help but wonder if Barth is doing all this because he cannot bear to have his plans hindered or if perhaps he actually has warmer feelings for her than he is willing to admit.

Debbie Raleigh has done a wonderful job in her portrayal of Barth and Isa. At first is quite difficult to peg Barth: he has moments when he shows his warmer and more caring side; however for most of the book he shows only his more domineering and competitive side, so that the reader's sympathies are entirely with Isa, who fears ending up in a relationship where she will not be valued very highly, and one in which her feelings will be severly trampled by the more dominant Barth. This is a novel that delivers a message: the end does not justify the means. And when Barth comes to realise this and sees how selfishly he has behaved, never taking Isa's wishes into consideration, you just know that the happy ending awaiting the principal characters in the following chapter, makes sense.

"A Bride For Lord Wickton" lives up to the expectations raised in "A Bride For Lord Challmond". This is definitely a book to be enjoyed in a cosy chair with a cup of tea and a plate of madeleines!

This book moves along at a nice fast pace with some great dialogue between the characters. It also nicely developes the love story between Barth and Isa. Neither are perfect and both must compromise to earn a future together. I was really pulled into this book and found myself losing track of time. Always a sign of a good book.

Byler's novel told in 11 chapters of varying lengths covers a series of moments in the life of character Wilson Hues. The shortest chapters are like snapshots of his childhood eclipsed by abuse from his father. The longer chapters center on Hues' adult life, as he goes from job to job, different homes, and shaky relationships. It's amazing how the author combines humor with the tragic element of these stories. These significant moments in the life of Wilson all added up to a vivid and complete pattern that all comes together quite nicely by the end of this story.

In one chapter called "Roaches", we learn of Wilson's futile attempts to rid his NYC apartment of these hated pests while at the same time that he is trying to save his marriage to a wife who is becoming more and more dissatisfied with him. His description of the roaches, crawling on the kitchen floor in such great numbers that the floor itself appears to be moving, is unnerving. His wife's growing frustration with him and Wilson's inability to cope with it all is heartbreaking and moving. The author gives us a warmhearted and sympathetic hero that anyone with a heart would feel sorry for and want to help.

This sad, but funny, personal account of one man's life is fresh and original, written by a young new author who shows great promise. A strong debut that will engage all who read it. I look forward to his future endeavors.

Joe Hanssen

I've just read Searching for Intruders. It is an excellent piece of fiction that is justifiably well received by Byler's peers and literary critics. And then I read the reviews on this site. Have the people trashing this book even read it? Do they have any clue about what good writing is? One person mentions that the author uses personal experiences in the novel. Um, isn't that what artists do? It's almost as if these people know Byler and are envious of his startling success, while they spend the next ten years writing obits for their local paper. After seeing Byler read an excerpt from the book last week here in Boston, I am convinced that he's the real deal. His persona is as honest as that of Wilson Hues, the main character of his book.
My advice? Pick up a copy, read it, and develop your own informed opinion.

These are good stories, they stick with me like a bowl of hot pasta on a cold winter night. The title piece of the book, Searching for Intruders, is hilarious, reminding me a bit of A Rose for Emily without the southern gothic twang. Byler's writing is deceptively simple--his ear and eyes are so sharp, he makes it look easy. And it's not. I don't care where or when he wrote these stories, I'm just glad he did, and he was willing to share.

Having said all this, I want to publicly avow that I am not a friend or family member of the author. I've never met the guy (although I wish I could and get him to sign my book). I did grow up in rural Ohio, surrounded by Amish, and maybe I'm picking up on subliminal Amish vibes. Who knows. What I do know is, a writer's readers can be ruthless, one reason why I never pick up the pen. I'll duck and run and read the fine words of more courageous authors such as Byler.

Even when two writers write well, collaboration is an itchy thing. Unless the pair is deliberately writing two different voices, they must carefully mesh their styles and dialog into a seamless narrative designed to maintain the illusion that the book you are holding is a cohesive and unified whole. When done well, it can be a beautiful thing; two voices telling the same tale, adding idea to idea and raising the entire project to a sublime place.

If the writers are unqualified hacks, however, the mess resembles the result of a Creative Writing 101 final after the TA trips while carrying the manuscripts.

Can you guess into which category "Shadows Bend" falls?

Unqualified ha...I mean, writers David Barbour and Richard Raleigh have imagined a world in which two famous pulp writers meet in order to drop a coin into the jukebox from Hell in order to prevent the end of the world as we know it. "Oh," you think. "It's going to be that kind of novel."

Though HP Lovecraft and "Conan" creator Robert E. Howard never met, Barbour and Raleigh ask us to imagine that they did. Also, that Cthulhu and the rest of the Old Ones are real and trying to rend the fabric of time and space in order to occupy our universe. Also, that any godlike being would think our universe was worth occupying, but that's another matter completely.

It's an interesting premise, interesting enough to get me to plunk down my money and take my chance. But the result is something less than promised.

Lovecraft and Howard set off on a nostalgia tour down Route 66 in order to destroy "the artifact" that would allow the Old Ones into our parking space. Along the way they meet Glory, a college-educated former prostitute who has read the works of Lovecraft and Howard, as well as that of Clarke Ashton, who makes a brief appearance later, who joins them in their travels. Terrible things happen. They save the universe. Blah blah blah.

My quibbles with this novel are large, broad ones. Well, I have small, subtle ones, but I won't bore you with them unless you write and ask for them. First, it appears that Raleigh and Barbour did not even read one another's work as they wrote. In some chapters Robert Howard, a Texan, is portrayed as a fellow with a decent command of English. In others, he nearly eats the scenery by aw-shucksin' his way through his dialog like a cartoon cowboy. Second, do I really need to point out how damned unlikely it is that a woman in the late thirties would be educated in medieval literature, read pulp fiction and work as a prostitute? Third, Lovecraft is written as though he were Oscar Wilde or Quentin Crisp. Fourth, why didn't someone tell Barbour and Raleigh that Southwestern Indians aren't the cool mystical minority they once were? Fifth, well, the ending is so lame you won't believe it. I would assume that the reason a writer would want to include historical characters in a modern novel is because he has something to say about that person, or that person is just the right character on which to hang the plot. In this novel, Barbour and Raleigh might just as well have written about *me*. *I* can slip a coin into a slot, too. And I bet I would have picked the right one the first time out.

If you're a Lovecraft or Howard fan, you might want to read this, but my guess is that it would be just too painful to see these two men massacred in print like this. If you read only one book using Lovecraft and Howard as characters this year, um, on second thought, read something else.

This book was a severe disappointment. The writers have no grasp of characterization: HPL is portrayed as a mincing wimp, REH as a thuggish nitwitted goon. The dialogue is excruciatingly bad throughout. The plot (what there is of it) is ludicrous, especially since it contradicts itself. Basically, Our Heroes team up with the Happy Hooker to thwart some shoggoths (currently masquerading as a dust-free black sedan) to stop some extradimensional invaders who can't make up their mind whether they want a heavy, carcinogenic, chameleon-like McGuffin put into a cave or not. REH's father is portrayed as a cross between Hannibal Lector and Herbert West, and he's left to perform the ULTIMATE primal scene (as Freud called it) in Bobby's dreams, while the authors put an unpleasantly sexist slant on HPL's well-known dislike of fish. Add a truly imbecilic scene in which HPL and REH exchange potty jokes and you've got the whole picture. This was so out of character that I wanted to throw the stupid book out of the window.

I'm an old fan of pulp fiction, and the works of Lovecraft, Howard, Smith, et al. I found out about this book through an excellent review in Realms of Fantasy mag. by Gahan Wilson. Now, Wilson is no slouch, so when he likes a book, I know it's worth reading. Once again, he led me straight to a great read. The readers below seemed to have read a different book than me, or Mr. Wilson. It's a terrific, literate, haunting read, and does fascinating things with the main characters. I'll read this one again, and recommend it to friends. Bravo to the authors.