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Review:
Simmer All Night is the first book I have read by Geralyn Dawson (also writing as Emily March). I have been branching out into various genres of late and find that I have missed my historical romance fix. This book was great for soothing my craving. Containing the necessary elements needed in a Texas based historical, such as the stubborn heroine and the hero with the Southern drawl and sexy charm, I found myself instantly loving Cole and Chrissy. Who doesn’t love a Southern male that wreaks of masculinity? Cole may be a lawyer, but he is Texan through and through. And the drawl? *swoon*

My dislikes within the story focus on situations that may have been drawn out a bit too long. Chrissy and her mother have a difficult relationship. Chrissy does not believe that her mother loves her equally compared to her brother, Jake. As a result, when Cole confesses his love (don’t worry, it’s pretty early in the book, so not a big spoiler here), Chrissy distrusts his announcement. Part of this is because Cole has always been indebted to Chrissy’s mother. Elizabeth took Cole in after he lost his family and treated him as her own despite the differences in social standing. In the end, all situations are resolved fairly quickly once confronted and/or accepted which leads me to believe that they could have been solved quite a bit faster had the characters not been so stubborn.

Another difficulty was the explanation of the villain. Yes, every story must have some type of villain that threatens to separate true love. But this villain, although introduced early enough in the story, is not well explained. He seems to turn into a villain quite suddenly and exits just as abruptly. I found the hows and whys lacking in adequately recounting just exactly how he managed to follow such an evil path. Additionally, I do not know that I understood completely the reasoning behind his … err … specially replicated room. (Don’t want to spoil it – sorry!)

Those issues aside, I found the story enjoyable. Rather than center around one consistent backdrop, Ms. Dawson dares to accomplish bringing two historical settings to life. The crossover from Texas to England in the 1800’s was fun to read. I have a feeling a like feat will occur in the next installment of the Bad Luck Abroad series.

I appreciated the historical additions spread throughout the story pertaining to Texas history; the focal item being the retrieval of the Texas Republic’s Declaration of Independence. Cole is sent to England by Chrissy’s mother to follow a lead regarding the possible whereabouts of the document. But Chrissy’s often scandalous antics result in her being banished to England to stay with her Grandfather. Obviously convenient is Cole’s upcoming trip and so he is elected as Chrissy’s escort. When all is said and done, the lead ends up supplying a new adventure: this time in Scotland. Having weaseled out of the trip to England the first time, Jake is quickly dispatched to Scotland to follow this new lead concerning the Declaration. Let’s see – Jake, a Texan at heart, traveling to the Scottish Highlands? The possibilities are endless. I look forward to reading Bad Luck Abroad # 2, Sizzle All Day.

(Book gifted via Amazon by Emily March: Bad Luck Abroad contest) ( )