First, I read the historical, "The Sun and the Moon" by Patricia Ryan (Signet, available now). Hugh of Wexford is very happy with his life now--as a favored spy of King Henry, he can enjoy all his favorite pasttimes, including drink and women. But his latest assignment throws him in with an unwilling partner, Phillipa de Paris, who is well-educated. Until you take her out of the university world and into the real world, and then sheīs a bit lost. The pair must pretend to be wed to infiltrate the home of one of Phillipaīs old suitors who is among those trying to overthrow the king. I really liked Hugh, at least until he did one particular thing late in the story. And Phillipa is engaging as well. They work well together, and play well, too. And not only must they spy on Aldous, but there is another spy in the house, and no one knows who. This warrior and his studious love kept me reading until I finally reached the end. With the exception of only a small passage, I really enjoyed this story. Of Cupidīs five arrows, this one gets three and a half.
The next book I read I didnīt enjoy nearly as much unfortunately. It was "Miss Tibbles Investigates" by April Kihlstrom (Signet). This is a tale set during the Regency, at Kendall Hall. Pamela Kendall is in love with her childhood friend Julian, but she has invited another girl to visit--one he fancies himself in love with. Pamelaīs parents arenīt getting along, and there are relatives all over the place. Luckily for me, there is a family tree in the fronto f the book, and itīs a good thing, because until I was near the end of this 217 page book, I had trouble keeping all the characters straight. And there was precious little romance, at least that I could find. Then there are the murders in and around the family home. I really tried to like this one, but there was just so much going on that I couldnīt settle into the story. Not a keeper for me. This one earns only one and a half of Cupidīs arrows.
See you next week!
