The Highwayman by Judith James

The Highwayman
Rakes and Rogues of the Restoration #3

Judith James
Historical Romance
Published in 2014

H/h - John "Swift Nick" Nevison/Arabella Hamilton, The Countess of Saye
Setting: England, 1680.

Read in February, 2015.

My rating:

                                                  [spoiler alert]

“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.”

Much like the book itself, I’d like to start by quoting Alfred Noyes’s famous and hauntingly beautiful poetry “The Highwayman”, though I’ll have to give the credit to Loreena McKennitt and her equally hauntingly beautiful rendition of this poem for introducing it to me. Though I’ve read romance novels with a highwaymen hero before, ever since I’ve read this poem, I’ve come to have a different sort of perspective about them. Previously I don’t remember having any particular fondness for highwaymen heroes but somehow Judith James’ story made me think differently, be it the poem itself, the storyline or the fact that her novels are almost always rich with history.

The King’s Courtesan by Judith James

The King’s Courtesan

Rakes and Rogues of the Restoration #2

Judith James

Historical Romance

Published in 2011

H/h - Captain Robert Nichols/Hope Matthews

Setting: London/Nottinghamshire, in the era of Charles II, 1662.

Read in April, 2012.

My rating:

                                                    [spoiler alert]

Well, I was disappointed with many things in The King’s Courtesan, which is a follow-up of Libertine’s Kiss. The biggest trouble for me was, I couldn’t get over the fact that Hope was Charles’s mistress once and she had this starry-eyed infatuation for a fickle womanizer like him. She being a courtesan for such long years, it was so unbelievable (among other things) that I found myself rolling my eyes more often than not. Then, she and Robert’s chemistry was lacking, their communication felt forced, when not distant. It was sad because the book started with a beautiful scene and I was anticipating the moment when they get to relive it at some point of the story... *sigh*

Libertine's Kiss by Judith James

Libertine's Kiss

Rakes and Rogues of the Restoration #1

Judith James

Historical Romance

Published in 2010

H/h - William de Veres, the Earl of Rivers/Lady Elizabeth Walters

Setting: Kent and London, in the era of Charles II, from 1658-60/61.

Read in April, 2012.

My rating:

                                                    [spoiler alert]

In Libertine's Kiss, we get to meet a notorious rakehell, whose character is loosely based on John Wilmot; a poet and a close friend of Charles II. Now-a-days, I’m often leery about reading books on rakes; they annoy me and most of the times, I don’t feel any respect, love or affection for them. Not all author can convince me about a so-called ‘bad boy’ and so, I’d like to congratulate JJ for making me fall for this one, for convincing me that William was someone worthy of love and affection. I had ups and downs in this book too, some pet peeves I’d rather not read about but I knew that any woman lucky enough to get past his prickly barriers would be helluva lucky girl!

Highland Rebel by Judith James

Highland Rebel

A Tale of a Rebellious Lady and a Traitorous Lord

Judith James

Historical Romance

Published in 2009

H/h - James Sinclair, The Earl of Carrick and Carlyle/Catherine Drummond, The Countess of Moray

Setting: London, Ireland and Scotland, in the era of James II, probably 1685-1690.

Read in Apr, 2012.

My rating:

                                                   [spoiler alert]

Personally, Highland Rebel was a mixed read for me. I felt emotions varying from laughter to annoyance while I was at it. So far, I don’t think I’ve read a Romance set in the Restoration-era England and so, again, I totally appreciated JJ’s Historical research. This book started out with a bang; the hero, a real charmer who looks at life with mockery and does whatever it takes to survive. The heroine, a fiery Highland beauty, made me instantly like her a lot. But as I said, in the course of the story, I came across plenty of let downs and pet peeves of mine in the story that hindered my full enjoyment of it.

Broken Wing by Judith James

Broken Wing

Judith James

Historical Romance

Published in 2008

H/h - Gabriel St. Croix/Lady Sarah Munroe

Setting: Beginning of the Napoleonic rule; probably 1799-1804, spanning from France, England to the Mediterraneans.

Read in Apr, 2012.

My rating:

                                                       [spoiler alert]

This debut book by Judith James is by no means formulaic. I’ve read many of those in my long years of Romance reading and while I loved some of them to bits, others bored me to death. I totally appreciated the storyline of Broken Wing, the historical research JJ obviously done so well and created someone like Gabriel; a man you can’t just NOT adore, love and respect, even though his past was every bit sordid. Varying bunch of emotions gripped me while I was reading it: laughter, tears, shock, dread... I felt I myself was being tortured with Gabriel. But overall, I wasn’t bored once and I wasn’t disappointed, which is where I can truly say that I’m glad that I’ve read this book.