Carol A. Spradling, author

tntbailey · Immigrant Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Oregon

Carol....I am here.... A charter member of this board too! Very Happy

Loved Trixie Beldons myself. In fact, I saved them all for my girls to read. So far they aren't interested...they don't know what the are missing.

CarolASpradling · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:23 am Post subject:

Hi Tina,

Not like Trixie Belden? Say it isn't so. lol

I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to have a daughter to teach her how to play jacks. My daughter had no interest. I was crushed. What can you do?
_________________
Carol
www.CarolASpradling.com

tntbailey · Immigrant Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Oregon

Carol....

Your website is really coming along! You must have way more time than I do to experiment.

For those of you who don't know me, I am the administrator/creator of a similar board for Kathleen Woodiwiss. That is how I "met" Carol. As I am a full time working Mom, I am pretty selective in my reading...I stick to Woodiwiss, Stephanie Laurens, and have just started dabbling in some Jude Deveraux. Looking forward to reading Carols book after I finish my latest Deveraux story.

CarolASpradling · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:43 pm Post subject:

Hi Tina,

Thanks. Sadly, I have spent more time than I would like. But I have to admit, I like the outcome.

Stephanie Laurens? hmmm, I'm not familiar with the name. I'll have to look her up on Amazon. What is it about her books that interest you?
_________________
Carol
www.CarolASpradling.com

tntbailey · Immigrant Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Oregon

She writes about late 1700 and early 1800 english nobility. I was looking for someone tolerable to read other than KEW when I found her. I actually picked up the first book I read of hers at an Airport out of of desperation when when we had an unexpected 4 hour layover. I like that her men are very strong and powerful and her women are even more so. Her stories always have a mystery element to them.

What is unique is that she writes "series" romance. She has two series, The Cynster Family and The Bastion Club...actually, I guess she actually just started a third, The Case Book of Barnaby Adair (There is only one book and it is a Cynster branch off).

The Cynsters started out about 6 cousins, 3 sets of brothers, who all managed to survive the Napolean Wars. The oldest is a Duke (Sebestian who goes by Devil)..his was the first book. They all have this crazy nicknames that have stuck...Devil, Scandal, Vane, etc. which all have stories behind them. They are all REALLY powerful and other than Devil, who knows he has to marry for children, none of them intend to ever marry and absolutely are not going to fall in love. One by one, they succomb. The funny thing is they have an attraction for powerful women (A theme is the only thing that can control a Cynster male is a Cynster wife.) and they all wind up in love having to convince the lady to have them. Because of the series aspect you get to visit the characters over and over. You can still read the storied independantly though. She has branched out past the original 6 cousins now to include sisters and brothers romances.

My favorite of hers is the Bastion Club series. You can read these independantly however there are two mysteries that are carried through the series (which is still not complete). This are set in the late 1700's and they are about 7 english spies who spent the wars behind enemy lines. There is a prequal book, Captain Jacks Women, that is set during the wars where you meet one of the future Bastion Club members. The men were all 2nd or even 3rd in line for the family titles and all have come back to inherit them. So they are single, all in the ir 30's, needing to wed to carry out on the family name, at time when men were more scarce, and thay have all been out of the society circle for 10 + years. They approach marriage like the another battle. They form their own gentlemans club, The Bastion Club (the last bastion against the matchmaking mama's) to stage their battle plans in finding a wife. Again, strong, powerful, and in this case leathal men except this time they are searching for the wives. Again the ladies do not fall willingly and again there is a mystery in each novel.

What is good and infuriating about this set of novels is the central mysteries. A mysterious ex commander-Dalziel-appears in the 2nd or 3rd novel to help solve the mysteries. They don't even know who Dalziel really is. They trust him after the years of working for him and they know he has to be nobility too but they don't know who he is. As the series progress you get little teasers to his identity. Dalziel is also trying to track down a last traitor from the wars...you get clues along that line too. The final bachelors story comes out in late August and Laurens has promised one more story after that, Dalziels. I am dying to know who the last traitor is and who Dalziel really is. The thing about Laurens novels is that because she writes about the same time frame and set of people, characters cross the series. You'll find Cynsters in the Bastion Club novels, etc so I think it is highly probable that we have "seen" Dalziel and the traitor already in another novel.

What you have to get used to reading her is the sex scenes. They are usually very graphic. The first scene is usually 10 + pages. I have found some her novellas though that aren't that way. There is dialogue in them though that you don't want to miss. And... she is an Australian author so there are occasional references that are not in common use for an Amercian reader...ie she will refer to the womens part as the "mons"...actually a scientific term I found for the outer area....I could figured it out but was wierd at first read.

She also writes at least two books a year, one Cynster, one Bastion Club so there is always something to look forward to.

CarolASpradling · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject:

Hi Tina,

If you like this style of writing, you might want to try Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady. It sounds similar to what you have described, though the sex scene is tamer. Smile

_________________
Carol
www.CarolASpradling.com

cale · Citizen Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 134 Location: Illinois

Tina I read Spymaster's Lady and it is excellent. I think you'll like it. Annique has the strength that Laurens' heriones have but she's maybe not quite as lustful.

tntbailey · Immigrant Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Oregon

I'll have to add it to my list.

Jeanne · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

Tina, I decided to start over on A lady of His own with Penny and Charles. I remember that I liked their story but it has been a while and I need to refresh my memory. Everytime I start the book, I get interrupted by something. Right now it is King Kong. The movie, I mean. I think I had gotten past chapter 4 before but there was a lot of information in those chapters. I like Stephanie Laurens ability to make a mystery though even if I dislike her sex scenes. I can always skip over that.
_________________
Don't cry if you have lost the sun. The tears won't permit you to see the stars.

brony1 · Citizen Joined: 11 May 2008 Posts: 159

I have finally read Some of the Bastion club. I read the first two and then the library let me no Captain jacks was there also so have now read that as well. I agree her love scenes are a bit long.