November Book Statistics

Books Reviewed in November: 46

• Median Ranking: 3.0
  
• Mean Ranking: 3.32
  
• Mode of Rankings: 3
  
• Standard Deviation of Rankings: .9508

Top Three Books (November)

• Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
  
• Simply Love by Mary Balogh
  
• When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Worst Three Books (November)

• The Sinful Nights of a Nobleman by Jillian Hunter
  
• Her Only Desire by Gaelen Foley
  
• Lord Stanhope's Proposal by Jessica Benson

Author Statistics (November)







Detailed Author Statistics (November)

Mary Balogh

• Number of Books Reviewed: 15
  
• Median Ranking: 4
  
• Mean Ranking: 4
  
• Mode: 4
  
• Std. Deviation: 0.53

Sara Bennett

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 2
  
• Mean Ranking: 2
  
• Mode: 2
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Jessica Benson

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 1.5
  
• Mean Ranking: 1.5
  
• Mode: 1.5
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Elizabeth Boyle

• Number of Books Reviewed: 3
  
• Median Ranking: 2.5
  
• Mean Ranking: 2.5
  
• Mode: 2, 2.5, 3
  
• Std. Deviation: 0.5

Loretta Chase

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 2
  
• Mean Ranking 2
  
• Mode: 2
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Gaelen Foley

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 1
  
• Mean Ranking: 1
  
• Mode: 1
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Anne Gracie

• Number of Books Reviewed: 3
  
• Median Ranking: 3.5
  
• Mean Ranking: 3.5
  
• Mode: n/a
  
• Std. Deviation: 0.5

Candice Hern

• Number of Books Reviewed: 2
  
• Median Ranking: 2.5
  
• Mean Ranking: 2.5
  
• Mode: 2.5
  
• Std. Deviation: 0

Georgette Heyer

• Number of Books Reviewed: 3
  
• Median Ranking: 4
  
• Mean Ranking: 4.17
  
• Mode: 4
  
• Std. Deviation: .29

Jillian Hunter

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 1
  
• Mean Ranking: 1
  
• Mode: 1
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Eloisa James

• Number of Books Reviewed: 7
  
• Median Ranking: 3
  
• Mean Ranking: 3.07
  
• Mode: 3
  
• Std. Deviation 0.19

Sabrina Jeffries

• Number of Books Reviewed: 5
  
• Median Ranking: 3
  
• Mean Ranking: 3.1
  
• Mode: 3
  
• Std. Deviation 0.22

Julia Justiss

• Number of Books Reviewed: 1
  
• Median Ranking: 3
  
• Mean Ranking: 3
  
• Mode: 3
  
• Std. Deviation: n/a

Julia Quinn

• Number of Books Reviewed: 2
  
• Median Ranking: 4.5
  
• Mean Ranking: 4.5
  
• Mode: n/a
  
• Std. Deviation: 0.71

"Silent Melody" by Mary Balogh

Silent Melody by Mary Balogh 1997

Description from back of book:
"Lady Emily Marlowe was beautiful, wild, and unspoiled. She could not hear or speak, though she listened with her eyes and answered with her smile. She was betrothed to a man who would have her as a pretty possession, a captive listener. But there was only one man for her - the dark and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick, the childhood amour who inspired her fantasies - then left for India and found another love. Seven years and countless dreams later, he returned to her, and love was born with a dance, a minuet that stirred her soul, a song so passionate it had no words..."

First off, this book is Georgian, not Regency, but I'm including it here because Mary Balogh is, for the most part, a Regency writer. This book is also the sequel to "Heartless." I truly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure at first whether having a deaf-mute heroine would even work - it sounds difficult to transfer facial expressions, etc, into words in a book, but Mary Balogh succeeds in doing so, and in making Emily a warm and complex character. Ashley, on the other hand, is a tortured and hurting man, filled with guilt over the accidental deaths of his wife and son in India. In Emily he finds the comfort of a long friendship, and with the realization that she is a woman, and not a little girl, he finds the hope of a great deal more. This book has more of a plot than many of Mary Balogh's books, and it's a good plot that unravels at a reasonable pace - it's not thrown at you, but it doesn't slow down the book either. Truly an enjoyable work!

RATING:

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

"Web of Love" by Mary Balogh

Web of Love by Mary Balogh 1990

Description from back of book:
"He'd served with her husband on the battlefield - and yet secretly desired her for years. Yet for Dominic, Lieutenant Lord Eden, Ellen Simpson has remained tantalizingly out of reach - until she is widowed by the war. Suddenly pursued by the dangerously handsome nobleman, Ellen is stunned by the depth of attraction he arouses in her. Soon their friendship flames into something deeper...and as scandal ignites, marriage seems the only solution. But Ellen has a secret - one she can share with no one - that prevents her from fully opening her heart to Dominic. Until he devises his own plan for the ultimate consummation of their passion - and the woman he is determined to possess at any cost."

Hmm. I'm trying to figure out what they mean by that description, everything after and including "But Ellen has a secret..." WTF? I have read this book and I have no idea what they're talking about! Anyway, "Web of Love" is the second in the "Web" trilogy. These books are very different than Mary Balogh's other books. They're slower moving, a bit more detatched emotionally, and yet at the same time very beautiful books. This book is a little slow getting into it (Ellen's husband doesn't die until page 130), but the buildup helps with the book later. I really like Dominic - I've liked him since "The Gilded Web" - and it's nice to see him finally grow up and get away from the silly little girls he was courting all through "The Gilded Web." Ellen - well, I'm not so sure if I like her or not. She seems at the beginning like a really great character, but after Charlie dies and she makes love to Dominic, she turns rather cold, and never really warms up again. Despite this, though, this is a good book with a good, solid story, and worth reading.

RATING: 1/2

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

"Midnight Pleasures" by Eloisa James

Midnight Pleasures by Eloisa James 2000

Description from back of book:
"To her legions of adoring suitors, it comes as quite a shock when Lady Sophie York rejects an offer of marriage from the dashing, rakish Patrick Foakes in favor of amiable but dull Braddon Chatwin. He may be an earl, but it is Patrick's stolen kisses that sear her lips. When Patrick, in disguise, scales a ladder to retrieve his friend's fiancee, he never expects the elopment to be his own. Neither does Sophie, Braddon, or the rest of the tattling ton. One hasty wedding later, the passionate innocent and the sophisticated rogue play out their own intricate dance as Sophie masters what it takes to keep a man where he belongs. And Patrick learns the ultimate lesson in love."

This book is one of the very few of Eloisa James's books I've read where the subplot does not get desperately in the way of the good story. It's integrated in such a way in this book that it works with the story, and helps to further the main plot. This is a good book, although it didn't stay with me very long afterwards. It's a fun read, and the characters are engaging, but not engaging enough to make this a great book. Sophie is a good heroine, Patrick is tortured, and their estrangement is quite complete (she doesn't even know when she becomes a duchess), but there's just something emotionally missing from this book that keeps it from sticking with you.

RATING:

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"Enchanting Pleasures" by Eloisa James

Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James 2001

Description from back of book:
"Gabrielle Jerningham cherishes the portrait of her betrothed, the perfect Peter Dewland...until she meets his commanding older brother Quill. But it is Peter to whom she has been promised. And how can she possibly transform her voluptuous, outspoken self into the poised gentlewoman Peter requires? When Gabby's shocking decolletage plunges to her waist at her first ball, Peter is humiliated. But Quill comes to the rescue, to the peril of his heart. An accident years before has left Quill plagued by headaches - the kind that grows more excruciating with strenuous exercise. Needless to say, this hardly bodes well for siring progeny. But the very sight of Gabby leaves Quill breathless. One forbidden kiss and Quill vows to have her, headaches - and Peter - be damned! But it will take a clever man - and a clever woman - to turn the tables on propriety and find their way to true love..."

This is one of my favorites by Eloisa James. Quill is a lovable, tortured, injured heroine, and Gabby is fun and rather clueless. Peter, in his own way, is an equally interesting character. As usual, however, a secondary plot tends to get in the way and the times when you most want to find out about Quill and Gabby - I really wish she would just stick to one story per book! I think the end of this book goes a little bit far in the melodrama direction as well, but it's still a fun book and I enjoyed it.

RATING: 1/2

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

"Simply Love" by Mary Balogh

Simply Love by Mary Balogh 2006

Description from back of book:
"Anne Jewell is a teacher at Miss Martin's School for Girls, a genteel academy in Regency England. Now she must confront the disturbing tragedy that gave her a beautiful son but locked her heart away many years ago. While on a summer holiday in Wales, Anne meets Sydnam Butler, a taciturn hero of the Peninsula Wars. Gentle yet courageous, he is unlike any man Anne has ever encountered. But he too carries scars of the past. When Anne returns to St. Martin's, she makes a suprising discovery and has no choice but to test Sydnam's love. Their passion becomes a showdown between long-buried fears and grand dreams..."

This book is spectacular. I know that's a strange word to use for a book, but I can't help it. This book blew me away. Sydnam is the perfect hero - tortured, lonely and yet indescribably gentle, and put against Anne - who is equally damaged, their two hearts are constantly misunderstanding the other in the most tragic of ways. And yet, on a deeper level, there is understanding, and a need for each other that transcends the surface discomfort. This book is one of the most poignant books I have read in ages. It clenched at my heart and I found myself completely unable to put it down. Bravo!

RATING:

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"Simply Unforgettable" by Mary Balogh

Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh 2005

Description from back of book:
They meet in a ferocious snowstorm. She is a young teacher with a secret past. He is the black-caped stranger who comes to her rescue. Stranded together in a country inn, Lucius Marshall and Frances Allard share a night of glorious, unforgettable passion. But Frances knows her palce. Due to begin her teaching position at Miss Martin's School in Bath, Frances must try to forget that one extraordinary night. But when fate once again throws them together, Lucius's passionate, single-minded pursuit will force Frances to give up all her secrets - except one - to win the heart of the man she already loves.

This is the first in the new "Simply" Quartet, and it is a good beginning. While this book is not quite as good as others that Balogh has written, it is nonetheless charming. Frances is trying to forget her past - something she eventually finds to be impossible - and it is through the love and support of Luicus that she is finally able to move on. There is good chemistry between Lucius and Frances, and, as in all of Balogh's books, you truly empathize with the hero and heroine. There is just something that this book is lacking to bring it up to the quality of some of her other books, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Still a good book!

RATING: 1/2

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"The Secret Pearl" by Mary Balogh

The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh 1991

Description from back of book:
He first spies her in the shadows outside a London theatre, a ravishing creature forced to barter her body to survive. To the woman known simply as Fleur, the well-dressed gentleman with the mesmerizing eyes is an unlikely savior. And when she takes the strange to her bed, she never expects to see him again. But then Fleur accepts a position as governess to a young girl...and is stunned to discover that her midnight lover is a powerful nobleman. As two wary hearts ignite - and the threat of scandal hovers over them - one question remains: will she be mistress or wife?

This is a dark and rather bleak book. The first scene is emotionally horrible and while the book has a happy ending, there is not a great deal of happiness anywhere else in the book. There is all kinds of sadness - the sadness of unrequieted love, the sadness of being seperate from the one you love, the sadness of a child yearning for her mother, the sadness of making a mistake that you may have to live with for the rest of your life...this is not a light book, but it is a good one.

RATING: 1/2

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"No Man's Mistress" by Mary Balogh

No Man's Mistress by Mary Balogh 2001

Description from back of book:
Lord Ferdinand Dudley is accustomed to getting what he wants...that is, until he appears at the door of Pinewood Manor, attempting to claim his rightful estate, and is met by the bewitching fury of Lady Viola Thornhill. She refuses to cede him the home she calls her own. He refuses to leave. So the contest begins. Each day under the same roof brings its share of frustration...and temptation. But Viola knows it is a battle she cannot afford to lose. Marriage is out of the question, and she will be no man's mistress even as Dudley's unnerving presence threatens to melt her resolve. Against his better judgement, Lord Ferdinand Dudley is beguiled. This maddening beauty has stirred him as no woman had before. And now he is bound and determined to make her his own.

This is the sequel to "More than a Mistress." Unfortunately, it is not quite as good as MtaM, although it is an enjoyable and well written book. Ferdinand just doesn't have quite as developed and complex a personality as Jocelyn, which makes it harder for the emotional connection between the reader and characters to form. Viola is an interesting character, and we find a great deal more out about her than we do about Ferdinand, who is a rather mild and uninteresting character. Some of the best scenes in this book are the ones with Jocelyn and his family...still a good book, though.

RATING: 1/2

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