Simply Magic by Mary Balogh

I had a few of Balogh’s books in my pile and Simply Magic was the first I finished. It is part of the “Simply” series which centers around four teachers at Miss Martin’s School For Girls in England. You don’t have to read the books in order, although I did read one of the previous volumes in the series.

Most of Balogh’s books have a slow pace which enables her to concentrate in great detail on the relationship between the hero and heroine. Don’t expect any complicated subplots or strong secondary characters, it is all focused on the main couple who we get to know inside out. Her books make a nice change from the fast-paced, action filled romances and although it sometimes takes a little while to get into them, by the end of the book you’ll really care about the pair. Her books remind me a bit of Jo Beverly’s.

Simply Magic features the teacher Susanna Osbourne and Peter Edgeworth, who is Viscount Whitleaf. They are instantly attracted to each other, but there are complications beyond that of their different stations in life. Saying more would give away too much, but it was an interesting and original dilemma.

What makes this book stand out is the two main characters, Susanna in particular. I really felt that I understood her and she was a very believable heroine. Peter, on the other hand, was likable and his actions seemed realistic, but he wasn’t quite as interesting to me. I also thought the historical setting was very well done.

I’d recommend this book if you’re in the mood for a leisurely exploration of a relationship between two appealing characters. I’ll rate it 7.0 out of 10.0.

Let It Be Love by Victoria Alexander

I needed a change from the military science-fiction I’ve been reading lately, so I gathered together all the historical romances in my to-be-read pile. I alphabetized them (I know, I know) and decided to start making a dent in the 100 volumes (yes, I counted—and bought one so I’d have an even hundred.)

I started with the A’s and B’s and the first book I finished was Victoria Alexander’s Let It Be Love, set in England in the 1850’s. I am not sure if I’ve read any other books by Alexander, but I certainly plan on reading more in the future. Her writing style is similar to that of Loretta Chase and Julia Quinn.

The Marquess of Helmsley is surprised when a stranger, Fiona Fairchild, asks him to marry her so she can receive her inheritance and provide her sisters with dowries. He thinks she is an actress put up to it by his friends so he agrees, only to be horrified when he finds out it was no joke. He wants to help her, but does not wish to wed, so comes up with an interesting proposition.

What made this book most enjoyable for me was the humor. It is full of witty banter between Jonathon and Fiona and they are both likable characters, once you get past Jonathon’s reneging on his word. The secondary characters were outstanding and the pace is quick, but not so fast that you can’t enjoy the developing relationship and heightened sexual tension between the hero and heroine.

This is an excellent historical romance, recommended for anyone in the mood for an amusing and well-written read. I’ll rate it 8.0 out of 10.0.

Highland Beast (Anthology)

Highland Beast is a paranormal anthology featuring stories by Hannah Howell, Heather Grothaus and Victoria Dahl. It is similar in feel to last year's Nature of the Beast anthology which also featured a story by Hannah Howell. I reviewed that last October.

All three stories take place in Scotland in the past, all are in the 80-90 page range and all feature vampires. Given those similarities, it is surprising how different the stories felt. They all shared one important thing, though--they were all excellently written.

It's hard to pick out a favorite this time, which is rare in anthologies where the quality usually varies, but if I had to it would be the first one in the book. In "The Beast Within" by Howell, my one quibble is with the hero's name Gybbon. All I can think of is the ape, not really what I want to picture when I am thinking of a romantic hero. Other than that minor issue, the story is wonderful. Gybbon is searching for the Lost Ones who share his MacNachton bloodline when he comes across Alice Boyd who has been running from hunters for years. Both Gybbon and Alice are very strong characters and there was a lot of action and suspense. I'm rating this 8.5 out of 10.

The second story is "The Vampire Hunter" by Heather Grothaus. Beatrix Levenach is a witch who lives in the Scottish highlands where she runs an inn and protects the village from vampies. The villagers come to suspect her of the deaths the vampires are causing and Alder the White comes to her rescue. He's a vampire who can only regain his humanity if he kills Beatrix. This is a very exciting tale, full of non-stop action and a variety of paranormal activity. I'll rate this 8.0 out of 10.

The last story in the collection is "Laird of Midnight" by Dahl which is set in Scotland in 1595. Finlay Maclain is a vampire who has been hunting those vampires who killed his family and he only has one more to take care of. He finds the widow Kenna Graham working at a tavern and she is threatened by his nemesis, Jean. The sexual tension is delicious and the pace never lets up. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and watching both of them change. I'll rate this one 8.0 out of 10.

Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh

I've been having computer problems and have a backlog of books to review, so will try to keep these short and to the point.

Seducing an Angel is part of Balogh's Huxtable Family series and tells the story of the youngest Huxtable, Stephen, the Earl of Merton. It is a Regency that takes place in London. The heroine is Cassandra Belmont, an impoverished widow who decides to take a lover to survive and take care of those she loves.

I've read other books by Mary Balogh and thought this one wasn't up to her usual standard. I did enjoy parts of it, such as the brave heroine and the secondary love stories. The other characters such as Cassandra's maid and former governess were all interesting. Even the dog didn't annoy me like so many animals in romances do. I appreciated that the author took on the serious subjects of alcoholism and domestic abuse.

The weakness of the book for me was the hero. There was nothing offensive about Stephen, he was just boring. He seemed to be the perfect man and perfection is just not fascinating to read about. There was no sexual tension, not much action and little suspense. I think with a different hero it might have been a much better book. Seducing an Angel lacked the emotional punch that many of Balogh's books have.

I'll rate this book 6.0 out of 10.

A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James

A Duke of Her Own is a gem. It's set in 1784 and closely follows This Duchess of Mine (which I reviewed in August.) Although I think you'd still enjoy the book without reading This Duchess of Mine first, I think it added a lot to my understanding of the hero, the Duke of Villiers. He's an important secondary character in Duchess and the book shows the beginning of his search for his illegitimate children.

Leopold, the Duke of Villiers, has decided he needs to find a mother for the children he is gathering, and he wastes no time in searching for an acceptable wife. Lady Eleanor has been nursing a broken heart for years because her beloved married someone else and she has declared she will only marry a Duke to keep other men from bothering her. Eleanor was wonderfully direct and honest, and quite a contrast with Lisette, the other candidate to be Villiers' new Duchess. I loved how James gave Lisette some of the stereotypical traits of a romance heroine, but with a twist.

This book wasn't quite as emotionally intense as This Duchess of Mine, but it's hard to compete with a dying hero. I did think that James handled the serious topics of mental illness and orphans amazingly well. I loved all the characters and found them refreshingly original. I even liked the dog and Villiers' son Tobias and I often find dogs and children poorly done in romances. The ending is a bit unusual but perfect for the characters.

I'll rate it 8.5 out of 10 and highly recommend it for anyone who likes British historicals.

Twin Peril by Susannah Carleton

Twin Peril is a Signet Regency Romance and is only 217 pages long. I haven't read many of these types of books so don't have much to compare it with.

I have to admit I zoomed right through this book and it kept my interest the whole time in spite of some problems I had with it. I think some of the faults I perceived are because of the short length. There just isn't time in 200 pages to develop secondary characters or plot lines.

The basic premise of the book is that the Duke of Fairfax needs to find a wife and decides on Lady Deborah Woodhurst, one of the famous Woodhurst twins. Diana, Deborah's twin, decides she wants to marry the Duke instead and does what she can to achieve her goal.

The romance between Michael and Deborah was very sweet and ran surprisingly smoothly. Both are quite likeable characters, but they could have been more interesting. The only really lively character was the evil Diana, who would have been more believeable if she had been more complex and not just a stereotypical spoiled brat.

I'll rate Twin Peril 6.0 out of 10.

The Scandals of an Innocent by Nicola Cornick

The Scandals of an Innocent is the second in Cornick's The Brides of Fortune series, following The Confessions of a Duchess. I didn't read the first book and didn't feel like I was missing anything.

The book takes place in the village of Fortune's Folly in Yorkshire in the year 1810. The book gets off to a strong start when the heroine, Alice Lister, is caught by the hero, Lord Miles Vickery, in an act of theft (it's not as bad as it sounds.) Miles is in a terrible financial bind and tries to blackmail Alice into marrying him so he can have her money.

Alice is a very interesting and unusual heroine because she was a former maid who inherited a fortune from her former employer. I liked how the author explained how she had to go through a great deal (dance lessons, speech lessons, etc.) and only achieved limited acceptance in society, which made her position seem more realistic. I liked Alice's personality very much, she would be the perfect friend. Miles, on the other hand, was a total and complete cad for much of the book. You gradually learn why he acts how he does and he does change thanks to Alice's influence and his love for her. It was frustrating that he took so long to see the light, but maybe that long wait made the ending all the sweeter.

I'll rate Scandals 7.0 out of 10 and will look for the next in the series.

Confessions of a Little Black Gown by Elizabeth Boyle

Confessions of a Little Black Gown is part of Boyle's Bachelor Chronicles series. It closely follows Love Letters From a Duke which tells the story of Felicity Langley. Little Black Gown features Felicity's sister Thalia Langley. I felt that having read Love Letters From a Duke did add to my enjoyment of Little Black Gown, but it isn't strictly necessary.

The book takes place in England in 1814. The hero, Lord Larken, is masquerading as a bumbling vicar in order to find and kill the notorious escaped pirate Dashwell. Larken attends a house party hosted by Felicity where he meets Thalia (Tally.) She knows from the first that Larken is more than he appears.

The most enjoyable feature of the book for me was the interplay between the two scheming main characters. They were both intelligent, witty and a bit unusual. There were a couple of secondary plots, one dealing with the relationship between the pirate Dash and Pippin, Tally's cousin. The other concerned a member of a French secret society who was also searching for Dash, but it was somewhat over-the-top. Everything was tied up neatly at the end, except for Pippin and Dash's future, which is taken up in the next book in the series, Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress.

I'll rate it 7.5 out of 10 and look forward to reading more of Boyle's romances.

This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James

This Duchess of Mine takes place in London in 1784. It is part of the Desperate Duchesses series. It's one of the best historicals I've read this year and could be used as a textbook on what a historical can be.

Jemma, the Duchess of Beaumont, fled to Paris nine years ago after she found her new husband having sex with his mistress. She is now back home to do her duty and produce a heir. Jemma sets out to seduce Elijah and make him fall in love with her. That's just one aspect of the book, though, there is much more.

In addition to the beautiful love story, there are some fascinating historical elements that are essential to the plot and are not what you'd expect. I don't want to give too much away, but the treatment of prisoners was appalling and the treatment of the illegitimate offspring of the nobility was not much better. I also really enjoyed learning a bit about medical research of the period.

The character of the Duke of Villiers provided some welcome lighter moments amid some serious subjects. I was glad to find that his story is told in A Duke of Her Own, which has just been published.

The novel has a lot of suspense because it turns out that Elijah is not well. This adds intensity to the romance, because Jemma and Elijah never know which day will be their last together. The love scenes were well done and unusual, one taking place during a chess game.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes English historicals and I'll rate it 9.0 out of 10.

Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn

Make Me Yours is a Harlequin Blaze Historical and only 209 pages. It feels more like a novella than a novel, but it is a fun, fast read.

It takes place in England in 1887. Mariah Eller is a widow who runs an inn in the Lake Country. One night she attracts the attention of Bertie, the Prince of Wales, a womanizer who has a rule about only having affairs with married women. The Prince sends his trusted friend, Jack St. Lawrence, to find Mrs. Eller a husband and arrange the details of their liason.

Mariah feels like she has no choice because another friend of Bertie's threatens to call her debts due if she doesn't cooperate. Jack is given a list of men who would make eligible husbands and Mariah insists on meeting them before she decides on a spouse. They are a uniformly awful lot (well, except for the one that is already engaged) and the author had me laughing at some of their antics.

Besides the humor, the book also has some wonderful sexual tension. Mariah really likes Jack and thinks he would make a good husband, but she has to convince him of that which she does by driving him mad with frustration. Mariah is a delightful character and you could certainly see why Jack would be attracted to her. She was not only funny, seductive and smart (and more than a little bit manipulative), she is also caring and compassionate.

Despite the short length, Make Me Yours is an enjoyable read with an excellent heroine. I'll rate it 8.0 out of 10 and would like to read more by Betina Krahn.

My Lord Pirate by Laura Renken

My Lord Pirate is the best pirate romance I've ever read. Granted, I've probably read fewer than a dozen, but it's still very good. It manages to make a very unrealistic premise (the honorable, romantic pirate) seem completely believeable. It does not gloss over the harsh realities of the time, either.

Talon Drake, the pirate, kidnaps Regan Welles by accident, thinking she is the betrothed of his nemesis, Harrison Kendrick. Regan pretends to be Arabella to save her cousin and is forced into a marriage with Talon. Regan thinks Harrison, her half-brother, is a saint, but she is sadly mistaken. She also thinks that Talon was responsible for her parents' deaths, which certainly is an impediment to a happily ever after.

Talon is a fascinating character, driven by revenge for the horrible things done to his family and himself, but deeply honorable. Regan is complex. At times she seemed annoying but it was realistic that she would act the way she did considering her misinformation. Her strength really came out as the book progressed and she grew more confident.

There was almost constant action and suspense, with some very harrowing escapes from disasters such as hangings and storms at sea. The sexual tension was scorching, and the book packs quite an emotional wallop.

I'll rate My Lord Pirate 8.5 out of 10 and I've already started reading the next in the series, which features Talon's brother.

The Outrageous Lady Felsham by Louise Allen

The Outrageous Lady Felsham is a Harlequin Historical. It takes place in England in 1815 shortly after the battle at Waterloo (a popular time for historicals.) It is part of a loosely connected series called Those Scandalous Ravenhursts but I don't feel I missed anything by not reading the first in the series, The Dangerous Mr. Ryder.

Belinda, Lady Felsham, is a widow recently out of mourning who decides to do something totally out of character and asks the dashing Lord Dereham (who was an officer in the war) to have an affair with her. The author made Belinda's actions believeable and I liked her even when she was being too proud. I also liked the hero, though he seemed rather generic.

I enjoyed the book, but it was not much above average. It could have used some more conflict or suspense. It was pleasant but I never felt deeply moved. The best part of the book for me was when Belinda decides to help wounded veterans and starts a charity. The historical elements were nicely done and I especially liked the scene when Belinda went bathing in the ocean.

One more note, which has nothing to do with the author--this book needs a better cover. Harlequin should look at covers for authors like Eloisa James and Elizabeth Hoyt and take notes.

I'll rate this 6.5 out of 10 and would read other books in this series.

What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown

What Would Jane Austen Do? first caught my attention because I'm a Jane Austen fan. The cover with the abs of steel and the stately British home didn't hurt, either. Then I saw it was a time-travel--I was in heaven!

Eleanor Pottinger attends a Jane Austen Society conference and encounters two ghosts who need her to go back in time and save their brother's life. Enticed by the chance to meet Jane Austen herself, she agrees. She promptly falls for the dashing Lord Shermont.

I thought this was an excellent time travel. It was more believeable than many of them, and the historical details seemed spot on. I was a little disappointed that Jane Austen hardly appears in the book, but she is still a part of it because Eleanor uses Austen's books to help her figure out what to do in sticky situations. I liked Eleanor very much and Shermont was a fine hero, although he didn't really come into his own until the last part of the book.

The book was original, the time travel elements were handled with great skill and the heroine was a real gem. The book had some humor, some suspense, some delicious sexual tension and a couple of huge surprises. I would recommend this to anyone who likes time travels or English historicals.

I'll rate this book 8.5 out of 10 and look forward to the next book by Laurie Brown.

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

I had read some stellar reviews of this book which is why I picked it up but I was skeptical that it would be that good. I've read a few books by Jennifer Ashley and while I enjoyed them I was not blown away. Well, I WAS blown away by The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It's one of the three best historicals I've read so far this year.

There's so much to love about this novel, but for me the character of Ian Mackenzie was the highlight. How often do you see a hero who is actually mentally ill? Ian has Asperger's Syndrome, (which I didn't know until I read the reviews,) which causes him to be unable to meet people's eyes, have a photographic memory, be unable to lie, to take things literally, to be mesmerized by patterns, etc. Ian has spent time in an asylum where he was subjected to what we would consider torture but was considered treatment for his madness in the 19th century. The author does a marvelous job of taking us into Ian's world and showing us why he is a brave and worthy hero. I was so glad that there was no miraculous cure at the end of the book (a device that has ruined books for me before.)

The heroine is also wonderful and unusual, though not so unusual as Ian. Beth Ackerly is the daughter of a French con-man and spent time in a poorhouse as a child. She is also the widow of an impoverished vicar and it was refreshing to find that she actually had a very happy, if brief, marriage. First marriages in romances are so seldom happy, and an astonishing amount of the time they aren't even consummated. After she was widowed, she spent time as a companion to an elderly woman who left Beth her fortune. Beth is far from naive but her past has not hardened her and she shows an amazing amount of patience and understanding with Ian and his brothers (who all have their own problems.)

I haven't even mentioned the fascinating mystery of the book, the marvelous secondary characters (what a surprise Inspector Fellows turned out to be!) and the way Ashley brings the settings of London, Paris and Scotland to life. There is much to praise in the book and nothing I can think of to criticize. If you like historicals, you'll love this original and highly satifying novel.

Fortunately it is the first in a series of four books about the Mackenzie brothers. The next is Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, which will be released next year.

I'll rate The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie 9.0 out of 10.

The Secret to Seduction by Julie Anne Long

The Secret to Seduction is not my favorite Julie Anne Long novel. I have really enjoyed her other books but this one let me down. I think it was mostly because I didn't care for the heroine, Sabrina Fairleigh.

Sabrina is the adopted daughter of a clergyman and she is planning to marry a curate, Geoffrey, and be a missionary in a foreign land. She and Geoffrey go to visit the Earl of Rawden to ask for his funding of their mission (Geoffrey has other motives as we find out later.) Rhys, the Earl, is captivated by Sabrina's innocence and apparently feels that he has to live up to his nickname of The Libertine.

This is what I had trouble believing in. I thought Sabrina was totally prudish and boring at this point in the book and did not believe she would attract Rhys at all. She does improve in the second half of the book but doesn't really come into her own until the end. The ending was interesting, but didn't make up for the rest. Rhys was a more interesting character, but did a couple of things that were very unheroic that I had a hard time forgiving him for.

Although this book was a disappointment and I'll rate it 6.0 out of 10, I will continue to read Julie Anne Long's books because the others I've read have been very good.

The Duke Next Door by Celeste Bradley

The Duke Next Door is the 2nd in Bradley's Heiress Brides trilogy. I haven't read the other two, but after reading this one I want to. The series features three granddaughters of a man who leaves his fortune to the first of them to marry a Duke.

Deirdre Cantor proposes to Calder Marbrook, who is in line to become a Duke, after her cousin jilts him. He is a widower who is known by the popular press as "The Beast of Brookhaven." He accepts the proposal, to his own surprise, and most of the book takes place after they are married which is an intriguing change.

They get off to a bad start when they arrive at his home after the wedding and she finds he has a daughter he hasn't told her about. She has an evil stepmother and is afraid of being a stepmother herself. I had a problem with Calder springing this on her and of her reacting like she did, but I adored the little girl, Meggie. She has a foul mouth and a love of trouble.

Deirdre has quite a job ahead of her because she has to make her husband fall in love with her, as she has been with him secretly for years, and develop a relationship with her stepdaughter who idolizes her mother. Unknown to Meggie, her mother died on the way to meet her lover, and Calder feels all women are untrustworthy because of his experience. Calder is absolutely horrible when it comes to communicating with Deirdre and he knows it but doesn't know how to fix it.

I enjoyed the interplay between Deirdre and Calder very much. I especially liked the way Deirdre never backed down. I did feel sorry for Calder because I think he was outmatched by both his wife and his daughter. The ending of the book is very exciting, with suspense, tears and a good dose of humor.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys English historicals and I'll rate it 8.0 out of 10.

Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros

It's been a while since I read a book by Teresa Medeiros and Some Like it Wicked reminded me of how much I enjoy her work. I now plan to look for the books I've missed.

I was predisposed to like this book since it has a sexy Scottish hero and a brave, smart heroine. Pamela Darby meets Connor Kincaid when he is holding up her carriage. Yep, not that original but Medeiros does it very well. She does have a few plot twists that require suspension of disbelief, but I was having so much fun I didn't mind. Pamela convinces Connor to pose as the long-lost heir to an English Duke and it's great fun to watch them scheme.

I thought one of the strongest parts of the book was the characters. It was not only Pamela and Connor who were so well done, but almost everyone mentioned. I really had a soft spot for Connor's "valet" Brodie. I also thought what she did with Connor's cousin Crispin was excellent. He could have so easily been a cardboard villain, but instead we have a character who is both good and bad and we come to care for him. The real villain turns out to be someone else entirely.

The book moves quickly and there are a couple moments of real suspense. There is a lot of humor in the book, but also some sad memories that are dealt with. I have to admit there were two scenes where I teared up. I loved the ending, it was perfect.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys British historicals. I'll rate it 8.0 out of 10.

Love With the Perfect Scoundrel by Sophia Nash

Love With the Perfect Scoundrel is the third in Sophia Nash's Widows Club series. It's an English historical that starts off with a bang when the heroine, Grace, is injured in a carriage accident and Michael Ranier saves her from freezing to death. The novel moves quickly and there were a couple of interesting twists in the plot.

Before I tell you what I liked about the book, I do have to say that there is not much original about the plot. It seems to be several often used plot devices cobbled together. There's the wrongly accused fugitive hero, the heroine saved from certain death and stranded with the hero during a blizzard, the blacksmith who turns out to be something more... Throw in a couple of disadvantaged children and a rather ordinary villain and you may wonder why I bothered finishing it.

What makes this book better than average is the characters. The heroine is marvelously done. She is cold on the outside, but so vulnerable inside. The author made me feel I really knew her and I liked her a lot even when I was wincing at the mistakes she made. This is really a story of Grace Sheffey becoming who she was meant to me. The hero is rather typical, in spite of his troubled past (which is a bit too complicated in my opinion), but likable. The secondary characters, however, are excellent, from the stableboy to the woman who works at the orphanage. Nash really has a knack for making the most minor characters seem interesting and unique.

A fast-paced historical with an exceptional heroine, I'll rate it 7.0 out of 10.

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

The Duke of Shadows is one of the best historicals I've ever read. It is definitely in the intense and serious category rather than the light and humorous one. I was blown away by the excellent writing, the emotional impact and the nail-biting suspense. I was also very impressed by the way Duran handled the history of India that is at the core of the book.

The heroine, Emma, goes to India in 1857 to marry her finance Marcus. Her parents are killed in a shipwreck on the way and her reputation damaged during her rescue. She meets Julian, the Duke, shortly before the Indian rebellion against British rule. He helps her escape but they are eventually separated and meet again after several years in London.

The plot is complex, but not confusing. There is an amazing sense of atmosphere and the contrast between India and England is striking. Serious themes are explored, including prejudice against Julian because he is half Indian and the horrors of war. But the book is not depressing--the writing is a joy and the ending is uplifting. These two characters go through a lot and surely deserve their happy ever after.

I haven't even mentioned the fascinating secondary characters, including the villain, and the few but powerfully sensual love scenes. This is the kind of book that will make you think. I doubt I will forget these characters for a long time. If you like historicals, READ THIS BOOK.

I'll rate this book a 9.0 out of 10. I can't wait for Duran's next book, which will be out in June.

Too Scandalous To Wed by Alexandra Benedict

Too Scandalous To Wed is an English historical set in 1821. I thought a sentence toward the end of the book summed it up nicely: "He wasn't perfect--neither was she--but he was her imperfect hero."

The book is completely focused on the relationship between Henry (nickname for Henrietta) and Sebastian. There is a villain, but he plays a very minor role until the end of the book. Both of the main characters are entirely self-centered and stubborn as well. It would have been nice if one of them showed some sort of consciousness of the world around them, even if it was only that they were kind to animals or gave alms to the poor. Although I started out disliking both of them, as the book went on I found them more endearing. Perfect people are so boring, after all. They really did deserve each other so the ending was very satisfying.

I couldn't wait to see what happened next and finished this book in record time. There were a couple of things that made me wonder (would Henry really use the word "bugger?" Would she never have heard of the Hellfire Club?) but overall I thought the book was well written. It's a light and entertaining read.

I'd rate it 7.0 out of 10 and look for more books by Benedict.