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01/24/2007 Archived Entry: "Smart Bitches Love Laura Kinsale"

When I've mentioned my keeper romance authors, I think I've neglected to mention Laura Kinsale. Maybe that's because there have been long gaps between new books from her. At any rate, she is one of my favorites -- unusual situations, great writing. These "lightning review" posts (Part One, Part Two) by Candy at Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels give short run-downs of all of her novels. "The Hidden Heart: This is Laura's debut novel and holy crap, she does a great job. The hero, Gryphon, has suffered some pretty horrendous emotional trauma and is terrified of loving anyone again. Tess, the heroine, is one of the best Kinsale has created: strong without being annoyingly feisty, sweet, but not sickeningly so, and kind of an outsider because of her eccentric upbringing. It's an old-school romance in that the hero and heroine are together--no, they have to separate!--no, they're together--no, they have to separate!--no, they're together again--but most of the other earmarks of old-school romances like purple prose and the hero raping the heroine are mercifully absent. The book's dark core is lightened up considerably by flashes of humor. It should be illegal for an author to write this well for a debut effort. A-"

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