Books 2014 - The Enlightenment trilogy by Joanna Chambers

[byslantedlight]

I'm slow to get going this morning, so I'm going to see if writing up three books that I've read recently will help!
I've got to say, they're not covers that I'm particularly happy about putting up - they don't reflect the books at all, which are historical and have a much better feel of their period than these covers suggest! The characters are not shiny six-packed twenty-first century men with their shirts artfully arranged - they're much more real, and they're Georgian - the stories are set in the 1820s for heaven's sake! And they're good stories, written well. *g*

I had to read these in e-book format, which means I have less of a feel for their length and - well, all sorts really - but I do know that I enjoyed them, because they told a good story! They're classed as "m/m romance", but as with the kind of m/m books I've liked so far (i.e. the not-Mills-and-Boon-y type *g*), the focus is firstly on the story being told (or rather on the way the characters are involved in the story being told), and secondly on the romance between the two main characters, David Lauriston (a young advocate from a modest background who is at the beginning of his career in Edinburgh) and Lord Murdo Balfour (a London resident of Scots background, who is visiting Edinburgh for reasons of his own). It's a story about people living at a particular time, and about how they lived and what they found in life.

They meet by chance at an inn after David has been to watch a hanging, two men who were being punished for their part in the weaver's rebellion, who his employer had defended. The stories in fact revolve largely around the life of a third character, Euan MacLennan, whose brother was also involved in the rebellion and is being transported to Australia in punishment. Euan wants nothing more than revenge for the injustice of it all, and as David was not only their advocate, but presented himself as a friend during the trial, it's partly to him that Euan turns for help. He's been searching for the man who betrayed the weavers, and he's determined to find him - and that path brings Lauriston and Balfour together again.

The second story is what keeps us reading the entire trilogy of course, because we want to find out whether - well, let's be honest, when *g* - David's shame at his "unnatural" character can be overcome to the extent that he and Balfour can be happy together, and of course whether Balfour can overcome his own travails. I liked very much that we find out more about David and Balfour than just that they want each other - they're solid characters above all else, neither of them perfect (despite the book covers!) and both of them interesting. Edinburgh and Scotland both felt real to me too - they were more than just cobbles under the feet - as did the period in which the books are set. It wasn't overly-egged (look how much research I've done!) but it all felt right, rather than simply being set in - you know, yore, like the days of yore.. (Quote from Rachel in Friends, that I was reminded of by a post by KJ Charles... *g*)

So - still not Melissa Scott's m/m worlds, which I've liked best so far, and perhaps not quite K.J. Charles' Magpie m/m worlds either, but I wanted to keep reading, and again these have restored another chunk of my faith in the "m/m romance" genre - there might actually be books more worth reading out there than the covers make it look! (Plus I emailed the author to ask about print books, and she was lovely and replied quickly and very nicely, and there are in fact going to be some, so I shall no doubt buy them when they come out for re-reading. Yeay!)

Comments

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you've reviewed these, because in all honesty I'd never have picked them up based on the covers alone which give the wrong impression entirely.You make them sound rather interesting though.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're so much better than the covers! I must admit I read the preview version of the first one before deciding to lay out any money, because the covers didn't look promising at all, but actually what got me to read them was that KJ Charles, who wrote the Charm of Magpie books I liked so much, recommends them. There's m/m romance in there, definitely - more concentrated in the last book, I think, than the first - but it's based around a story, rather than subsuming everything and ending up as just froth (and thinly disguised m/f stereotypes, which I came across in various m/m fic that I tried...)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, when I first saw those covers I was completely taken aback. Not at all the kind of books I thought you read! *g* But, luckily, I read your comments and now may just have to look into them. I do can and do enjoy m/m books away from fandom (the Swordspoints and Nightrunner series come to mind,) and am always on the lookout for more.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Heee - those covers are not the sort of books I read! Not that I have anything at all against good looking men lounging shirtless against windows, but I they tend to be more interesting to look at than to read about... *g* These books, on the other hand, are the opposite - much better than the covers!

Who writes the Swordspoints and Nightrunner books? Now that I'm mostly reading outside Pros/fandom again, if they're good then I'll take a look too... *g* (Can't remember if you saw the post, but I'd recommend the Charm of Magpies series too... *g*)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Swordspoint is by Ellen Kushner, and is the main book in the Riverside series. Gorgeous, gorgeous writing. Parts of the history have only been published in magazines or anthologies, but Swordspoint can be read as a stand alone. It was my introduction to the World of Riverside.

The Nightrunner series is by Lynn Flewelling. It starts with Luck In the Shadows, and runs through six more books, plus Glimpes an anthology of short stories set in the Nightrunner World. Both are fantasies, so there's lots of world building, and very much worth reading.

Oh, and I checked out the Charm of Magpies series. I does sound interesting. Too bad it's only in ebook form. I've found that the books I buy in that form I tend to not end up reading. :-(

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I shall go and check those out!

It is a shame that the Charm of Magpie books are only e-books. I'm hopeful they might come out in print eventually - apparently Samhain releases printed versions a year after the e-book (though I spotted something about the length of these ones somewhere... I should write to the author and ask...) I do feel e-books are a bit of a swizz, they're easier to carry around, but not to do any of the things I normally like to do with books (flick through pages to re-read bits, double-check names, or something that happened,, glance possessively at the spine on my bookshelves, etc, etc... *g*)

[minori-k.livejournal.com]

Oh, these books seem very nice! I think I'm going to buy them for killing time in the hospital! Thank you!!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - they'd be good hospital books! Hope you like them as much as I did! *g*

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I hate the covers too. Completely misrepresent the story.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It's such a shame, they're such good books!

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

PS: I read the first 3 books of the Nightrunner novels. I wasn't terribly impressed. It gave the impression of a first-time fic by a fanfic writer^^ The m/m relationship wasn't convincing either. But a lot of people like these books because they were available even before m/m became mainstream. Your opinion may be different as I am admittedly a harsh critic.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, always good to get different opinions - thanks for that! I'll have a look, but if I'm not convinced I shan't persevere - life's too short! And I'm afraid I'm a fairly harsh critic myself - like I said, I've not been able to find any decent "m/m romance" fic until I came across KJ Charles and then Joanna Chambers - and I don't want to read anything "less" than their writing! *g* (So if, on the other hand, you have any recs... *g*)