Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

This book is: a love story with several different love stories happening around it.
Other elements: old Hollywood glamor, scenic Italian coastlines, curses, Richard Burton.
Read it: if you’re in a romantic mood (or a bubble bath. I read most of this in a bubble bath.).
Overall rating: 7.75/10

An isolated Italian village; a provincial, idealistic young businessman; a stunning American actress with a dark secret, an ex-soldier turned aspiring writer/drunk…are you getting a feel for this story already? This novel is set party in the past and partly in the present (and several times in between). It’s similar to the genre of movie that came into existence after the success of Love, Actually – it follows several plot lines which turn out to be interwoven. The plot lines in this book are not all equal, however. There’s a definite hero and heroine who are the center of the action.

After the funeral, he begged his elderly mother to return to Florence, but the very idea scandalized her. “What kind of wife would I be if I left your father simply because he is dead?” – Page 4

It’s not innovative or life-changing, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. I mean…romance, intrigue, and surprise appearances by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor? Sign me up.

Bender pondered the wine in his hand. “A writer needs four things to achieve greatness, Pasquale: desire, disappointment, and the sea.”
“That’s only three.”
Alvis finished his wine. “You have to do disappointment twice.” – Page 62

I could see myself rereading this mood again if I was in the mood for something exactly like this book. It really is the prefect book to read in the bubble bath – it’s warm, simple, it makes you feel good, it’s pretty to look at, it doesn’t take a lot of effort. The writing is pleasantly engaging and easy to read, and the characters are vibrant and interesting.

He had a gone-to-seed superhero look, with blocky, side-parted hair and a square jaw, and an athletic body just starting to swell with middle age. Men have a half-life, she thought, like uranium. – Page 208

The only part I actively disliked was near the end, when the author interrupts a dramatic moment to give a summary of dramatic things that happened to all of the peripheral characters – I was irritated to be taken away from the scene at hand, which I had been really enjoying, and the recap felt rushed and cheesy. It also went on way too long. I was interested to hear what had happened to the other characters, especially the ones I’d particularly liked, but I didn’t want to hear it in what was effectively a pages-long list. That part took a lot of the momentum out of the ending for me. From there on out, it felt like I was reading a summary of the end of the book rather than the actual end of the book.

It’s still worth reading, though, especially if the summary sounds fun to you. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to anyone with an affection for grand romance and the glamor of the golden age of Hollywood.

Against the Light by Dave Duncan

This book is: mediocre.
Other elements: cliches.
Read it: if you’re bored and it’s already in your hand.
Overall rating: 4.5/10

Dave Duncan has written some splendid novels. This is not one of them.

The characters are flat incarnations of cliches and plot is no better (hate-mongering new church persecuting followers of old, Goddess-centered, magical faith). The daughter is beautiful, the sons are brave, and the evil characters are irredeemable. None of the characters, good or evil, are individual or dynamic enough to be endearing.  I finished this book less than 10 minutes ago and I’d be hard-pressed to tell you even one of the character’s names.

I didn’t love or hate anything about this book. I never laughed, gasped, or cried. I also never worried, rejoiced, feared, or emoted much at all.

There are definitely worse books out there than this one, but I’m afraid that’s the best thing I can say about it. If you have nothing better to do and this is the only book you have, you might as well read it for a while.

You’d be better off reading the King’s Blades series instead, and then you’ll see how good Dave Duncan can be when he’s on his game.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

This book is: a historical fiction time-travel romance.
Other elements: Romance! Adventure! Manly men in kilts! Rebellion. Sex. Botany.
Read it: If you like the idea of adventuring (and romancing) with manly men in kilts.
Overall rating: 9/10

I haven’t read many romance novels and that’s because some of the few I’ve read have been so bad that I’ve been afraid to try more. Outlander tells an actual story; the story just happens to have a romance (and a fair amount sex) in it. It’s a novel, not just a vehicle for x-rated vignettes.

This book is everything I want in a romance novel. The heroine is intelligent, assertive, complex, and interesting. The hero is fallible, has a brain, respects the heroine, and is also a big, strong hunk of manliness (in a kilt). There is sex, but it’s well done – fun to read but not overly graphic. It has character development, a plot, and a marvelous cast of secondary and tertiary characters.

This book also really puts the romance in romance novel. Yes, there’s sex, and it’s enjoyable for readers and characters alike, but there’s equal page time dedicated to the characters’ emotional relationship. And it’s wonderful. They’re such well-crafted characters that their chemistry is electric, charming, and enthralling. Not to mention the fact that I have a big crush on the hero.

I have no idea how historically accurate the novel is, but I don’t really care. It’s better than fluff, but also asks almost nothing of your brain but to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. It’s wonderful, and a perfect Valentine’s Day present for yourself or others with good taste.

One warning: this book is 870 pages long. It’s engaging and light, but it’s still somewhat of a time commitment. But totally worth it.