Pick of the Week: July 6, 2011

Lauren Willig’s The Mischief of the Mistletoe won the 2011 RITA for best Regency Historical Romance last week.  As I have never read Ms. Willig’s books before and The Mischief of the Mistletoe is the sixth book in her Pink Carnation Series, I decided to read book one: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation this week.  The novel is charming silly fun and I loved it.  It is a spy novel, but not at all suspenseful and a romance without being a tearjerker.  What it IS is an adorable comedy and I recommend this novel wholeheartedly.

Sherry Thomas’ His at Night was the 2011 RITA Winner for best Historical Romance, and if I had been on the voting committee this novel would have been my choice for sure!  Ms. Thomas’ writing is beautiful and original.  I opened the novel to page one and happily fell in to the world she created.  The story is about two people who are both living behind carefully constructed masks – hers is for survival, his is for the sake of undercover investigation work – both recognize his/her own self in the other’s modus operandi and ultimately find happiness in each other’s arms.