A Liz Fielding Compendium of Reviews

Liz Fielding has recently self-published several of her older romances in eBook format.  Her excellent little writing guide is also available as an eBook.


The Beaumont Brides Series

Wild Justice    ****

This book is an enjoyable read with just enough twists and turns to make it interesting. The chemistry between the characters was sizzling without being over the top. Fizz made for an fascinating heroine with her tendency to explode out of her carefully restrained persona. Luke as an aggressive alpha male out for revenge is pretty nasty at times but luckily we get to see inside his head early enough in the piece to realise his ambivalence. The story is light weight in the nicest way. Good holiday reading and a feel good ending. Lucky we know Fizz has another sister about to embark on her own romantic journey so there is more of the same to look forward too.

Wild Lady    ****


This is the second book in the Beaumont Brides series and I thoroughly enjoyed the first. If anything I enjoyed this book a little more. This was to do with the hero and heroine who particularly engaged me. Claudia, who we met in the first book as a rather worldly, callous, even a bit bitchy actress, turns out to be so much more complex.  Like the rest of us, Mac, Gabriel MacIntyre saw her as shallow and self absorbed. Their journey to understanding takes place in the contect of threats to Claudia's peace of mind and even her life.  Gabriel was a former soldier and security expert plunged into Claudia's life when his business partner and BIL made a fool of himself over Claudia, upsetting Gabe's sister. Not a good start for the relationship especially when she crashed into his car and his hangar on the first meeting.  Their relationship grows as they must spend time together, meeting the threats that pile on, dating from that first meeting. Both are reluctant to succumb to a relationship because of their separate historys and Liz Fielding does a great job showing the development of the relationship and the impact of misunderstandings and the scars of the past on both of them. The attraction between the two sizzle even as they both fight against it and is very enjoyable to watch.  Liz likes to chuck in some great humour and the odd literary reference. Yes I did get the Lady Bracknell quote near the end thanks Liz.  I love it when an author makes me feel clever.

Wild Fire    ****

Well that was the third and technically final book of the Beaumont Brides Trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once the ex girlfriend was out of the picture there was no doubt about where we were headed. The only question was how we were going to get there. Liz Fielding has sprinkled this romance with some elements of white collar crime, insider trading with a touch of revenge. Just enough to keep you worried about what might blow up as Melanie Devlin Beaumont and Jack Wolfe get closer day by day. Just enough to slow down that obvious attraction as they eyed each other warily wondering if he was really the corporate Wolf and if she was a Mata Hari.  Jack has some history as well that influences him just as Melanie's baggage causes her some qualms about where her relationship with Jack might lead.
As the third novel in the trilogy we get a nice glimpse of the lives of Fizz and Luke and Claudia and Mac and their father Edward and his new wife and stepdaughter Diana and Heather. It all gets rounded off rather nicely with a taster for Heathers story which becomes Nyssa Blakes Story in His Personal Agenda. I mention this because I'm putting it on my TBR.
Altogether a very enjoyable read, fairly lightweight but ideal for a relaxing few hours and a satisfying ending.


Eloping with Emmy  ****


This story is a delightful romp from start to finish. Emmy is a sparkling heroine who is never short of ideas and the impulsive panache to carry them out.
Tom Brodie is the very opposite of the wayward heiress. He's worked his way up from a very different background with ambition to burn. Someone like Emmy is the last kind of girl he'd be interested in.
Until he ends up on the road with with her and discovers that there is a whole lot of woman under the madcap society girl. 
The road trip takes them across England and France by road, rail and road, involves one stolen and one borrowed vehicle, (a brightly coloured VWBug), damage to a hired car and destruction of another vehicle. A violent storm and a violent passion pretty much round off a very enjoyable journey full of witty dialogue and well drawn characters.

Little Book of Writing Romance  *****

If anyone wanting to write is debating whether to get Liz's Little Book of Writing Romance then hesitate no longer. It's a brilliant little book. Some pages I just want to print out to stick somewhere while I'm editing. And it doesn't take forever to read. It's also really well laid out to dabble in for particular aspects so you don't have to search desperately for that one perfect piece of advice.

And just to illustrate how well written the book is. When I read the chapter on putting emotion into your story, she made me cry. A how to book that makes you cry and get emotional. That's got to be a winner. There is nothing dry as dust about this book. It is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Nuggets of wisdom abound. There is nothing extraneous in this book. Every sentence is well thought out and takes the student on a journey with a fine demonstration of 'show not tell'. The examples Liz uses from her own books are beautifully chosen to illustrate the precepts.

I'm a person who is generally resistant to being told what to do and how to do it so approach how to books with a certain caution. (It's a flaw but I'm the heroine of my own story so I have to live with it.) I was prepared to think, 'Oh yeah, that's fine for HER style. But it isn't me.' But I couldn't. The information in the book isn't reliant on any particular type of story within the romance genre or a particular person's style. It deals with the practical in a simple and down to earth manner. While it says it's designed for beginners, I suspect even more advanced writers might enjoy it, even if for a nostalgia trip.