03/23/2015
Moss’s workmanlike first Lust in the Tudor Court historical pours strong emotion into various stock romance situations. When Eloise witnesses the flirtations of Queen Anne, Eloise is horrified to realize she herself now harbors a dangerous secret. Her father arranges a marriage for her, shattering her romantic dreams of eloping with a young courtier. Worse, her husband is to be the formidable Lord Wolf. Though the story is predictable and the characters are unsurprising, Moss makes up for it with steamy romance, wild passion, and bitter jealousy. Intertwined with the tragic fate of Anne Boleyn, there is enough melodrama to make for a pleasant distraction, if not an absorbing narrative. Eloise and Wolf’s childish spats and willful miscommunications raise the tension but not the stakes, so the merry resolution seems tacked on, but the spicy interludes throughout will please fans of erotic romance. (May)
This week’s Romance Roundup includes reconnected childhood buddies, an independent dressmaker, and a heroine trying to escape her cruel family.