It is no secret that my
“drug of choice” is a Regency Romance. The Regency era in England was the time of Jane
Austin, so keep Pride and Prejudice in
mind. Some of today’s authors can hold their own with the highly
regarded Jane. As in any genre, there are some good writers and there
are some bad writers. From my vast years of experience, I have
narrowed the field to a choice few; Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney are
standouts. I am here this week to introduce you to a new favorite,
Victoria Alexander.
Strictly speaking, Ms.
Alexander sneaks out of the Regency time period and has been known to
visit Victorian England as well, but that is fine with me; I am not a
purist when it comes to my drugs. I just want them to be good as well
as entertaining.
I will warn you that her
titles are provocative and sometimes misleading. The
Virgin’s Secret is a good example. (It
deals with an archeological study of an ancient society and the
goddess that was worshipped). Now this is not to say that her books do
not contain romantic scenes that can be a little sizzling, but they
are always romantic.
The
Regency and Victorian periods were very restrictive times for women.
Alexander’s heroines are always independent and willing to fight
the system. Frequently, the heroine of the book is a widow; this
gives her more freedom. I just found out that Victoria Alexander’s
husband is named Charles. This is important because in each book the
widow’s husband, if it was a happy marriage, is named Charles.
This is an author who can
do variations on old themes. At times it is easy to recognize classic
favorites. In an Alexander book the girl loses an earring in the bed,
not a shoe on the palace steps.
You get the idea. This is
a charming series of books and worthy of a rainy afternoon by the
fire with a cup, or glass, of your favorite beverage. You will not
cry at the ending; you will not be ready to go out and change the
world. You will, however, be reassured that there are happy endings,
romance is still alive, and there are authors who have an intelligent
sense of humor.
If romance novels are not
your “drug” you may still want to give Victoria Alexander a try. Find out more about Victoria Alexander on her website: http://www.victoriaalexander.com/
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