The Best Man

 

The Best Man / Grace Livingston Hill
Bantam, 1981, c1914.
176 p.

Another vintage mystery! This one from the first World War, when things were just beginning. I used to read Grace Livingston Hill's books when I was young, and some of them were quite fun. So I picked this up when I saw it in a thrift store - the premise looked promising. 

Cyril Gordon is a young intelligence agent, tasked with infiltrating a dinner party held by a group of traitorous crooks, and substituting a letter needed as proof. He gets the letter, and almost gets away, but is found out at the last minute, as he's leaving the house. He jumps into a cab (an actual horse drawn one) and flees, but is followed by others in a "horse drawn carriage chase" scene. He sees a crowd ahead and thinks he could disappear into it, so jumps out, right into a group anxiously awaiting the start of a wedding. Cyril is mistaken for the best man and rushed into the church. In his confusion and with his attention being on his pursuers, he doesn't realize until the service is just about over that he's actually the bridegroom. 

This is the setup and it was a delight. Fast action, funny, heart pounding and with the touch of saccharine romanticization of women that is a hallmark of Grace Livingston Hill. Great start! 

Cyril then takes his new bride to the train station for their honeymoon, to get away from the dogged pursuers -- he'll explain on the way. But there's more dashing around and escaping and the like, and Cyril never really gets a chance. He can't really explain to Celia without revealing his mission so misses a few obvious opportunities. Celia, meanwhile, is fascinated by him; she thought she was marrying George, someone her family hadn't seen in 10 years, who had blackmailed her into agreeing to marry him. She is confused and trying to reconcile those letters with this man, the whole time. 

This is also an "insta love" story -- within 36 hours, this accidental marriage turns into true love. The ending is a delight also. There is one scene when everything is becoming clear that has the best comic turn I've seen in a while. 

I loved this one. Fun, full of action, humour and plot. Cyril is a true gentleman, and that is important to the storyline. This felt quite different from the typical Grace Livingston Hill to me, as there is no real mention of Christianity in it except for oblique ones (some of hers can be preachy). And the pace and some of the content felt modern; it was almost jarring at times to realize the period details. As a light mystery with romance added, this was far more engaging and amusing than the previous wartime mystery romance I just finished, Murder While You Work. It was leavened with wit, lovely characters and a more fleshed out plot. What a fun find! 

The Man in the Dark

 

The Man in the Dark / Susan Scarlett 
London: Dean Street Press, 2022, c1940.
210 p.

I read this in ebook form recently, as I was returning home from a trip. It whiled away an entire flight quite enjoyably! 

Susan Scarlett is the pen name of Noel Streatfeild; she wrote 12 romances under this name, in and around wartime as reading meant to distract, and Dean Street Press has reissued them all. They are generally light and charming, although I am beginning to detect patterns: there is always a rival to our heroine who is self-centred and duplicitious, but what surprises me is how often it is a sister or cousin who is so mean spirited. 

In this book, Marda Mayne is hired as a companion of sorts for the young 17 year old goddaughter of James Longford. James was in an accident a few years before and lost his sight, and he's been a recluse ever since. But his best friend has died and he's now responsible for Shirley. So the charming and optimistic Marda enters his dark and dour household, and after their first meeting, you will know where this is going. 

However, there are stumbling blocks in the way. The housekeeper is dead set against Marda and the changes she wants to make. James' sister is poisonous, not wanting any young woman coming between James' money and the inheritance she plans on for her young son. And even 17 yr old Shirley tries to vamp James once she sees Marda is interested (Marda does not have a poker face). There are often very young girls acting romantically in her books, I find.  

In any case, Marda ultimately triumphs, as you know she will before you even open the book. But it was a circuitous route, with lots of entertaining brouhahas to read about, and some romantic subplots that are both amusing and charming. This one felt more light-hearted and optimistic than some of the other ones I've read, there is no true antagonist plotting seriously against Marda here. I found it a delightful, easy read and it put me in the mood for more of her books. 

A Tale of Two Families

A Tale of Two Families / Dodie Smith
London, UK: Hesperus Press, 2015, c1970.
272 p.

Following on from Yoshimoto's Premonition, I picked up another story of families and strange relationships. Not intentionally - but I absolutely adore Smith's I Capture the Castle so thought I'd read this one when it appeared in my library catalogue. 

If I'd read this first I would probably have never picked up another Dodie Smith book. It's bland, the time it's set is uncertain (50s? 60s?), the characters are not compelling, and there is far too much inbreeding going on. May and June are two middle aged sisters married to two brothers, George and Robert. June and Robert are much less well off, and when May decides they are all moving to the country (partly to deter George's womanizing) she invites June and her family to live at no cost in the cottage on the grounds. Each sister has two children, around the same ages. The eldest of each, Corinna and Hugh, are quite certain that they are going to marry each other. Despite their being close cousins with both parental sets siblings. Another ick! 

June has a hidden passion for George, her brother in law who seems much more vibrant and successful than Robert. This enforced isolation and togetherness brings that feeling out more than is useful. But other than this little spark, not much else happens in their country retreat. Hugh meets the daughter of the big house, who is odd and very countrified but there is a possible wrench in the works of his expected future there. 

My favourite characters were the grandparents -- May and June's mother Fran, a stylish city woman who tries not to interfere and is still youthful and involved with her own life, and George and Robert's father Baggy (nickname) who is an old duffer being taken care of by his daughters-in-law in turn. I thought these two characters were interesting and individual, with interests beyond their love affairs and domestic rounds. 

But this story felt a bit unfinished and inconsequential; alongside the apparently quite accepted notion of double cousins marrying, this really didn't add up for me. I didn't much like it, it's not funny or striking or even very memorable. Disappointing indeed! I will try a couple of others by Smith that I haven't yet read, but I don't think any of her later fiction will match up to I Capture the Castle. 

Enchanted to Meet You

 

Enchanted to Meet You / Meg Cabot
NY: Avon, c2023
350 p.

If you're familiar with Meg Cabot's writing, I'm sure you'll be able to get a good feel for this one just by looking at the cover. 

We have a young, curvy witch who happens to own a clothing boutique, who is approached by a handsome stranger on a motorbike and told that they need to work together to save her town from total destruction. As you do. 

The witch is Jessica Gold; she's not a witch with a pedigree, she's just someone who took up witchcraft as a teenager and found she had a knack for it. This puts her at odds with the World Council of Witches, an association who believes that only those descended from witches can be witches. And of course her mean girl nemesis from high school, who still lives in town as well, is one of the WCW members. 

But then Derrick Winters (also WCW) shows up, tracking down Jessica so that she can help him find and recruit the other element to their defense plan. Who turns out to be a local teenage girl who only Jessica can approach. 

It's complicated, and yet it's not. This is the first book in a new series so I'm sure we are going to find out more about the workings of the WCW and its many proponents and opponents. As well as Derrick's very large roster of step-siblings...long story. 

This story has snappy dialogue, body positivity, LGBTQ content, humour, sexy scenes and a look at the workings of small town society. It's a witchy rom com with lots going for it, and will please Meg Cabot fans looking for a new cast of characters to follow. If you want funny, sexy, snarky witches, this is the one! 

Unaccustomed Spirits

 

Unaccustomed Spirits / Elizabeth Pewsey
London: Sceptre, c1997.
336 p.

This is a book that I found by chance, at a massive book sale at my regular thrift store, after a church sale donated all their leavings. There were so many books that they were all priced at .50 a piece, to clear out the backlog. I got a boxful, and this one was one I added last minute, thinking that it was only 50 cents, I could take a chance on the cover. 

I'm so glad I did, as I so enjoyed it. In fact, so much that I quickly searched out the rest of the series to read them as well. This book is #5 in the Mountjoy series, but as I found out, can easily stand alone. And I'm glad that it was this one that I discovered first, as it was my favourite in the series, in the end.

It caught my attention because of the cover, which is a very particular kind of British book cover for women's fiction in the 1990s. There are SO many books from that era with this style of white cover with a painting and the author's name writ large. It's also set over Christmas in a crumbling manor house, with resident ghosts. All just my thing! 

Cleo Byng is a young woman who is engaged to a much older man, but has postponed her wedding due to coming down with shingles. Her distant relative has a country house that he needs a housesitter for, so she takes up the post, leaving her intense city job and fiance, and decamping to Haphazard House. 

This house is in Eyotshire, the location for the whole series. And Cleo starts to settle in, finding an old schoolfriend working as a seamstress in town who then moves in with her since Haphazard House is so large and rambling with so many rooms. 

There are various characters who show up in the house, including an extremely handsome ghost hunter who has heard that the house is haunted -- and both Cleo and her friend have their eye on him. And so do the resident ghosts. 

Yes, this house is indeed haunted, by an Elizabethan courtier, Giles, and a Cromwell era officer, Lambert. These two are very different in outlook but have been there together long enough to have a bit of an Odd Couple relationship. They were a delight, and their lute playing and fascination with modern technology (tv and telephones in particular) amused me. 

The tone of the book is a bit arch, a bit romantic comedy but with music, academia, fashion, and plenty of eccentric characters. It's clever and down to earth at the same time, with culture right up against more earthy concerns. I really enjoyed this introduction to the Mountjoys and the whole series, any of which can be read as a standalone. But I'm glad I found this one with the two charming ghosts in it to start with. It got me out of a reading slump with its purely entertaining storytelling. 

Clothes-Pegs

 

Clothes-Pegs / Susan Scarlett
London: Dean Street Press, 2022, c1939.
206 p.

For December I'm going to share some of the lighter reads I've been exploring over the last while - this week it's a few of the fashion/sewing related ones that I've already shared over on my sewing blog, Following The Thread. 

I'm starting with a vintage read! This is a reprint of the first romance by Susan Scarlett, the pen name of well known author Noel Streatfield. She wrote a dozen romances under this name, and I was obviously drawn to this one! 

It's the story of Annabel Brown, a nice girl from a middle class English family who works as a seamstress at Bertna's, a higher end fashion house, to help with family finances. Annabel is also young, slender and lovely, which works in her favour when one of the mannequins (models) from downstairs quits, and the owner needs a quick substitution. She decides to pull Annabel from the sewing room to the front lines, so to speak, and gives her a quick training to become of one of the four models showing off new collections. 

Two of these models are catty, the other is fairly mysterious but kind to Annabel. And on one of Annabel's first turns in her new job, she sees wealthy Lord David de Bett in the audience and falls for him at first sight. Of course she also catches his eye, despite the fact that he's there with the Honourable Octavia Glaye, who isn't very honourable in real life; she is really quite awful! This scene reminds me a little of the beginning of The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz. 

A cross-class romance ensues, with ups and downs and misunderstandings, as in all good romance novels. But Annabel's goodness overcomes class lines, as well as David's obsession with the madonna/whore complex. He is the sticking point in this book for me; he's not good enough for Annabel, jumping to unsubstantiated conclusions about Annabel near the end and only relenting when he finds out the truth accidentally from someone else. It felt a little icky for a reader of today, really. Other than his character, though, this story was charming - the Brown family is the heart of it and Annabel's work as a seamstress and as a mannequin are both frothy with clothing description and the way clothes make a woman feel. Bertna's was a delight to read about and while the romance felt a little clunky, the rest of it - especially the family interactions - was enjoyable and engaging. Definitely worth a look. I found this one through my library's online collection so perhaps you will be able to as well! 

A Stitch in Time

A Stitch in Time / Kelley Armstrong
Oklahoma City: KLA Fricke, 2020
(e-book)

 

I'm not a regular reader of Kelley Armstrong's books -- I know they're really popular and well done, but I just haven't got into them. This one, however, immediately interested me. It's very different from her usual style, in fact, it's just what I like a lot; it's a time travel love story centred around a English country house. All the things I love in this kind of fiction! 

So of course I had to read it right away. It was so enjoyable, and set in England, as all great books with this premise seem to be ;) It features Canadian academic Bronwyn Dale, who has just inherited Thorne Manor from her great-aunt. She travels to England to sort her inheritance, although she's quite anxious about returning to a house she hasn't been to after a tragedy when she was 15, a haunted house that holds dark memories for her. 

It also holds memories of her childhood friend, William Thorne, a boy who she encountered regularly until the age of 15, but who nobody else believed actually existed. After being sent for psychological evaluation at age 15, she's convinced herself that everyone around her was right, until she returns, and meets a very grown up William shortly after. 

The house is both haunted in the present, and very real in the past: there is a time slip between Bronwyn and William's bedroom which only they can cross (well, and a very determined cat as well). Their relationship must be restored across time, and Bronwyn's life must be decided, between Thorne Manor or returning to her teaching job in Canada for another semester. 

It's a lovely, warm story, though there are dark, spooky ghosts who do real damage. And fear in the night when Bronwyn (and her cat) are alone in the house. There are some very dark deeds to uncover and set right, and only if Bronwyn is able to do so will anything else work out well. 

This was a delightfully escapist read that I enjoyed a great deal. William was swoony, Bronwyn determined, ghosts scary, and the setting thorough and well drawn, in both eras. I loved the side characters, and wanted Armstrong to come up with a plausible way that William and Bronwyn could bridge the centuries. 

I think she did. Recommended.

His Only Wife

 

His Only Wife / Peace Adzo Medie
Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin, c2020.
278 p.

This is a tale of modern Ghana, getting a lot of attention for its portrayal of a young woman facing traditional barriers to her happiness. And it's a bit of a reversal of the fairy tale story since the main character's Prince isn't so charming. But let's be honest, I was drawn to pick this one up primarily because the main character is a seamstress -- although there really wasn't a lot of detail in this area, she does train at a fashion studio in Accra, and eventually begins selling her own designs, so there is sewing and fashion content. Probably not as interesting to other readers overall, but I liked it! 

So what's it about? Afi is a young woman living with her mother, scraping together a living as a seamstress. Then a Cinderella moment comes: the rich owner of the factory Afi’s mother works at makes an offer of marriage to Afi on behalf of her son Elikem Ganyo.

The Ganyo family see Afi as a traditional Ghanian woman, and also one who will be grateful to them for raising her up in society. So they wish to use her to get their son back from the other woman he loves, but who the family strongly disapproves of, and expect that Afi's gratitude at being raised out of her village life will buy her compliance with all their plans. 

After a marriage by proxy, Afi moves to the capital city of Accra, into a luxurious apartment supplied by the Ganyos – but doesn’t even meet Eli for weeks. When she finally does, she’s all a wife should be, and falls into an immediate infatuation with this rich, handsome man. But as the truth slowly breaks over her, she begins to realize what she really wants, and to set some boundaries for herself.

I wasn't sold on this book, personally. I felt that the characters were a little shallowly drawn, and that Afi herself was a hard character to like. She felt dramatic and needy, and a bit too naive when it came to her relationship with Eli and with his circle of friends. However, rather than staying a doormat, Afi stands up for herself and gets what she wants from this rich man in the end. It's a bit anti-romance and pro-self actualization, leaving Afi as a businesswoman full of plans for her future. 

It's a breezily told story which nevertheless uncovers some serious issues; the author is a known activist for women’s rights in her home country, and the effects of polygamy on contemporary women in Ghana are explored here. The setting and the unusual storyline are compelling, while the characters could benefit from a little more complexity. But if you are looking for a story of a woman’s journey to herself, with family drama and some steamy scenes mixed in, this would be a great choice.

A Golden Grave

A Golden Grave / Erin Lindsey
NY: Minotaur, c2019
400 p.

This is the second book in the Rose Gallagher mysteries by Canadian Erin Lindsey. I read the first one, Murder on Millionaires' Row, last year and really enjoyed it, so when this one arrived in my library I grabbed it. 

Like many second novels, it is not *quite* as good as the first. In the first book we are meeting Rose and her friend Clara for the first time, and there is lots of new and fresh detail to take in. There was also the surprise (for me) appearance of the paranormal in this mystery! Getting to know Rose and learning about her new skills and her crush on her employer Thomas was fun and engaging. 

In this book, Rose has learned the truth about most of what Thomas actually does as a paranormal Pinkerton. She's even been hired to work with him as a fellow Pinkerton. Much of the tension of Rose's ignorance of the truth that powered the first book is gone in this one. There is the excitement of the plot (a good one) and the growing yet still denied attraction between Rose and Thomas. And a few more developments about the world that Lindsey has created add to the complexity of her storylines. 

Rose's first official case as a new Pinkerton is to track down the would-be assassin of the candidate for governor of New York - none other than Theodore Roosevelt. When she meets him, she finds that he also has some of the charismatic charm that those gifted in magic carry with them. So who wants to get rid of him, and why?

More intrigue, more kicking ass, and a bit of romance make this into another winner. A fun, quick and campy read that I enjoyed immensely as a spot of relaxing reading. 

Hospital Corridors, a Canadian Romance

Hospital Corridors / Mary Burchell
Richmond UK: Mills & Boon, 1976, c1958.
192 p.

A second Burchell that I've just finished is also up for a review -- but this time, not because of its social criticism and exploration of post-war values. No, this time it's because I was vastly entertained to discover that this book was set mostly in Montreal!

And I started to wonder if Burchell has been hired by the Canadian Tourism Board for this little travelogue ;) There is a lot of rhapsodic description of the setting, as Nurse Madeline arrives from England to Quebec City, then makes her way to Montréal, and encounters rich Anglo weekends in the Laurentians, country drives to small Quebec towns, a view clear across to the the USA on a clear day from the Lookout on the Mountain, and even a dinner at Ruby Foo's.

The descriptions are delightful, and I could pretty much identify the huge "Dominion Hospital" she works at as the Royal Victoria. And the hotel at which she meets her upper crust English suitor -- for dinner only! -- must be the Ritz Carlton.

The story is fairly predictable though the depiction of Madeline and her fellow young nurses is entertaining and lively. The plot: Madeline's half-sister Clarissa meets a Canadian doctor in their English setting in the mid-50s -- she tells Madeline and their mother Enid that she will likely marry him, so they should all start thinking about moving to Canada together. Madeline, a trained nurse, discovers that there is a training program available for English nurses to work a year in Montreal, so she applies. Then Clarissa throws over her doctor, but Madeline determines to go forward with her own adventure anyhow. And meets a mysterious, handsome doctor on the ship over, who of course turns out to be the one and only jilted almost-brother-in-law.

There are a lot more machinations in the plot to get Madeline and Doctor Nat Lanyon together. Madeleine has another admirer, the charismatic Morton Sanders, her sister's previous employer who hired her to accompany his neurotic mother to Canada aboard the ship, and is  now giving her a bit of a rush. Doctor Lanyon seems remarkably sanguine about Madeleine dating another man for most of the book. It's only when her sister and mother come over for a visit and Clarissa bats her eyes at him once more, never mind that she's now legally married to someone else, that jealousy reveals Madeleine's true feelings to herself, and then, of course, all ends well. As Madeline and Nat declare their love to one another, they also declare their love for the country. This is the ending of the book:

"Stop here for a while, Nat,"she said softly. "I want to look at my little bit of Canada."
He stopped immediately, humouring her, and together they looked out over the darkening city.
"It's beautiful," she said half to herself. "It's beautiful, and now it's my home."
"It's only one corner of your home, my darling," he assured her. "All the years and all the miles are there for us both. From ocean to ocean it will all be your home. Together we'll watch the sunrise in the Rockies, the water come swirling down Kicking Horse River, and the mists clearing from the Valley of the Ten Peaks. You haven't seen more than the smallest beginning of it yet."
"I know. It's so vast one can't quite imagine it even now." She smiled slowly. Then musingly she said, "Canada. They call it the land of the future, don't they?"
"They do. And perhaps they're right." He smiled too then. "At any rate, it's the land of our future."
Then he started the car once more, and they drove at their own pace back to the hospital, secure in the knowledge that tonight, not only Canada, but all the world was theirs.

After that Tourism Board Approved™ conclusion, all I could think of was this.I hope you enjoy!

Mary Burchell's Love is My Reason

Love is my Reason / Mary Burchell
Toronto: Harlequin, 1974, c1957.
189 p.

I've read a lot of Mary Burchell's Harlequin romances over the years. From my first introduction to her charming romances, But Not For Me (now a favourite) to the discovery of her quite astonishing life and her memoir We Followed Our Stars -- also republished as Safe Passage in 2008 --I've found her completely fascinating. 

I just found out about this particular book recently, and though I don't review much of my genre reading, I wanted to share this one. 

Published in 1957, it details the feelings arising in a young woman, Anya Beranova,  as a result of being a Displaced Person after the war. As someone on Goodreads noted, there is not a lot of romance in this one; it feels like Burchell rolled one in so that Harlequin would publish it with her other work. The main love interest is a bit dreary, really, but Anya wants him, and that's all that really matters. 

In its tone and its look at post-war politics and social gradations, I was reminded in some elusive way of Helen MacInnes, a mystery writer of the same era. I loved the way that Burchell's long established love of opera and theatre and performance also plays a role in this story, as Anya discovers a latent "small talent" that leads her to her family and her future. 

The story runs thus: young Anya meets Englishman David Manworth by chance when he's holidaying in Bavaria. By a series of chance circumstances they meet a few times and develop a friendship. Then her father dies, after asking David to care for his young daughter...who is really the daughter of an Englishman. 

Feeling in some way responsible for her, David and his party -- his Aunt, her friend and her daughter, plus David's cousin, take Anya back to England with them. Anya must there discover who she really is and what she really wants, all while dealing with the emotions arising from her rootlessness and lack of national identity, and her long history of powerlessness and insecurity in DP camps across Europe. 

There are some reflections that are frighteningly current. With David in Bavaria there is a young woman, Celia, who is likely to marry him as their positions are similar and it would be convenient to them. She takes an instant dislike to Anya, which Anya sees, being so aware of her security in the world and how other people affect that. As Burchell writes,

Anya felt the chill of that stony dislike.
"And yet she has everything on her side," thought Anya wonderingly. "She is secure and happy and rich and beloved. Why should she hate and fear me, a stranger, with no country, no home, and even a father who is in doubt?"

A good question. 

Anya is shuffled around a bit, finds her hidden talent thanks to Cousin Bertram, a stage manager (and one of the most appealing characters in the book for me), discovers her true identity and gets her man in the end. But even as she's doing so she continues to hold her ambition to develop a career and to be self-sufficient and independent, and to hold her future in her own hands. I feel that if Burchell had been able to get away with not marrying her off in the end, she might have done so -- and the book would certainly have been more realistic and powerful that way. 

I was really struck by the currency of the concept of this story, and by Burchell's compassion not for The Displaced as a generality, but the real interior life of one young girl caught up in the winds of war. It makes the setting and the social conditions of the DP camps much more emotionally resonant. Burchell's work during the war and her concern for those caught up in its aftermath both shine out in this book in a way I haven't seen from her before.

While it's a pretty slight romance with convoluted plotting for drama's sake, it's also a fascinating contemporary look at the very present reality of DPs, refugees and those fleeing conflict in whichever way they can. A timely read that still echoes today. 

Bellewether by Kearsley

Bellewether / Susanna Kearsley
Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, c2018.
414 p.

I loved this book! I received a copy  from the publisher shortly before the release last week, and settled in to read the whole book that night. Couldn't put it down. 

I love Kearsley's mix of history and romance and hauntings -- this book is one of the best of her most recent titles, for me, as it covers an area of history that I personally enjoy: it's set in 1759 during the war between France & England in North America. It takes place in Long Island, where the Wilde family (made up of father and grown children) must board two French officers who have been captured by the English. One of these officers, Jean-Phillippe de Sabran, is much more respectful of the Wilde family than the other officer, and his interest in their lives grows to include the woman of the house, daughter Lydia. 

Meanwhile, in the story's contemporary setting, Charley Van Hoek comes to Long Island to be the new curator of the Wilde House Museum. Charley has family history in the area, including an estranged grandmother who is a big name in the local Daughters of the American Revolution group. Charley must adapt to her job, her connections to the community, and figure out just what is going on at the Wilde House - because she doesn't believe in ghosts. Not really. But the legend of the doomed love affair of Lydia Wilde has been passed down for generations, and spooky things do happen...

The story is enriched by Kearsley's ability to sketch characters quickly, but with depth and interest. The romance in the past was more vivid than the current day one, for me, but I enjoyed both storylines. I really do like the New France era, and there was a lot of detail about the politics and daily life of that time, thanks to Jean-Phillippe. The house/museum itself is a lovely character, well drawn and described in both eras; I would visit it if it really existed. I also liked how the family relationships in both eras were important to the story; it's nice to see those kind of ties instead of an isolated main character who seems to exist independently.

I can't say too much as I don't want to give away the unfolding of the plot and the joy of discovery while reading this, but I did think this was a great addition to Kearsley's novels, and certainly one that I will reread. The pacing, characters and setting all worked together wonderfully. If you are looking for a non-racy romance, a great historical setting, and a solid plot (with ghosts!), you must try it. 

The Rule of Luck

The Rule of Luck / Catherine Cerveny
New York: Orbit, 2017, c2016.
391 p.

I saw this book on the new arrivals shelf at work and was intrigued. It looked like an unusual science fictiony read, set in 2950, by which time much of the Earth has been covered in water & there are settlements on Mars and Venus for people to try to get to. One of the important surviving cities is Nairobi; this is where we find our main character, Felicia Sevigny.

Felicia is a tarot reader, still a career in this future world. She works in a little shop with two others, but on this particular day is heading out for an appointment to try to get her fertility ban lifted -- when in walks a tall, dark & handsome stranger. Very handsome -- so much so that she's sure he's had every genetic mod possible.

This is the world they live in; technology is everywhere. Most people are linked into the net biologically, able to scan info immediately about everyone they meet. Felicia, however, comes from a family who is opposed to this kind of intrusive tech, so she's an anomaly, someone who can't be so easily traced. And that's one reason why this powerful stranger has tracked her down.

The stranger is Alexei Petriv, one of the leaders of a Russian crime syndicate who wants nothing more than to overthrow One Government and take its place. They have good reasons to get Felicia involved in their quest, and her instant attraction to Alexei makes this easier.

But this is where the book falls down for me. Perhaps it's just the timing, but having a secret syndicate of Russians trying to take over the world government seems a little awkward as a plot device right now.

And while I assumed from the design of this book and the cover blurb that I was going to be reading a futuristic thriller with a bit of romance, it is very much in the style of an urban fantasy/paranormal romance with a touch of thriller. The sex lasts for pages, is lavishly described and occurs with great frequency. Not that I don't like reading romances, but I prefer to pick them up on purpose, when I'm intending to do so.

There are some fun parts to this book; it starts out really strong with a good hook. But too much time wasted on the relationship between Alexei and Felicia for me -- the plot is forgotten while they explore one another. The intriguing bits -- the setting, the tarot element -- get a bit lost. I'll most likely still read the second book when I can get it, as I'd like to see what happens next once Felicia heads off world. If you are looking for a steamy romance with a futuristic setting, this is a good bet. On my 3 Chilis heat scale, this one reads a definite 2.5.

Two by Simone St James

When you aren't feeling all too great on a long weekend and can't really take advantage of all the time to do active things, what do you turn to? Well, that's what happened to me this weekend, and I always turn to some enjoyable comfort reads. 

So I have two books by a favourite author, Simone St James, to share with you. I've read all of her work now, and always anticipate more. You can see my earlier thoughts on The Haunting of Maddy Clare, or An Inquiry into Love and Death (still my favourite) or  Silence for the Dead. Or you can see what I thought of these two romantic, gothic, supernaturalish reads!




The Other Side of Midnight / Simone St James
New York: NAL, c2015.
318 p.

This one is a bit different from her other work: while there is a paranormal aspect, instead of a haunting we have a couple of spiritualists who can talk to the dead. 

It's set, as usual, in the 20s. This is London between the wars, when belief in spiritualism and the longing to reconnect with the many lost lives is strong. Ellie Winter gave up her practice as a spiritualist alongside her mother after an incident; however, her former rival Gloria Sutter has just been murdered at a seance and had left instructions for Ellie to find her. 

So Ellie is drawn back into the thick of things, with Gloria's brother pushing her from one side and paranormal investigator James Hawley pushing from the other. The mystery turns out to be just as much connected to the political everyday as it is supernatural. But Ellie both finds her feet as the gifted psychic she is, and finds a solid romance too, through this exercise. 

St James writes a thoroughly believable London, with description of places and feelings and social norms strongly drawn. I just wanted Ellie to succeed and be happy, and so was very satisfied with the conclusion of this novel. Once again, entertaining and page-turning reading.



Lost Among the Living / Simone St James
New York: NAL, c2016.
337 p.

It's 1921, and Jo Manders, having lost her husband Alex as MIA in WWI, needs to find a living. She ends up as a paid companion to Alex's Aunt Dottie. 

And Dottie's life is no bed of roses. When they arrive at her country home, Jo finds that there are mysteries, both real and paranormal, to contend with. Not to mention that Dottie's husband and son are both problematic - rude, withdrawn, disagreeable.

With a sense of ghosts lurking, and paranormal experiences that Jo seems to accept naturally, this is a creepy tale indeed. Alex's cousin Georgina, always considered slightly off, committed suicide at a young age, and she haunts the premises (quite literally). The mystery element and the romance element are both strong, and slightly reminiscent of DuMaurier's Rebecca.

That said, Jo is not my favourite heroine so far, and so I found that I didn't engage as deeply in her story. I found there to be quite a few coincidences & strange choices on her behalf, so didn't love this story as much as the other St. James I've read. Of course, that still means that this was a very good read, and a perfect choice for comfort reading nonetheless! The mystery is indeed very mysterious, and only reveals itself slowly, keeping the reader guessing. And the atmosphere is perfectly 20's, English, ghost story. Well worth checking out.

A Desperate Fortune with Susanna Kearsley

A Desperate Fortune / Susanna Kearsley
New York: Touchstone, c2015.
498 p.

I really enjoy Susanna Kearsley's romantic fiction. I like her style, her characters, and how she imbues her stories with history.

This latest book features amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas, who has been hired to try to break the code that a 300 year old journal is written in. The journal belonged to Mary Dundas, an exiled Jacobite who, as it turns out, was heavily involved in intrigue on the continent.

As usual with Kearsley's books, the story jumps back and forth between the present day and the historical past. In this book I much preferred the past. Mary was a young but intrepid woman, clever, curious, and loyal. Her love story was slow-moving but satisfying and thoroughly convincing. Plus all the history about the Jacobites was interesting, though perhaps a little heavy on the telling. I hope the next will move away from the Jacobite background, as it has been a major part of a few books now.

The present day story didn't really grab me. Sara is an unusual main character; she has Asperger's and has found that there are certain conditions she prefers that help her to manage her work life, such as working alone. Her preferences are certainly in opposition to most expectations of being 'political' and networky in your work life, and I found her determination to do things her way quite refreshing. That said, I also found her love story rather dull and unconvincing; her love interest is a bit flat to me, and she herself never really caught me in the same way that some of Kearsley's earlier heroines have.

The major difference between this book and many of the earlier Kearsley novels is the lack of any paranormal, timeslip elements. It's a straight ahead back-and-forth between past and present, mediated by Mary's journal. I think I missed that element, and discovered that what I really love about her books is in fact the mysteriousness of the psychic, ghostly, or timey-wimey bits.

Still, even if I didn't love this one in the same way as, say, The Shadowy Horses or The Rose Garden, I still enjoyed it and look forward to the next book with just as much anticipation as always.

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Further Reading:

If you like the idea of Jacobites and Scottish intrigues, mixed in with a little romance and lot of historical fact, you could always try the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. While it's longer, and more time-travellish, it does share some elements of this story.

If the modern day story in this book is what you love, check out Katherine Neville's The Eight. It's far more mystical than this book, but it features lots of codes, ciphers and politics mixed in with multiple narratives past and present, in France as well...and has a fabulous heroine.

Quick's Garden of Lies

Garden of Lies / Amanda Quick    
New York: Putnam, c2015.
359 p.

I was under the weather this week, so it was perfect timing getting my hands on the latest Amanda Quick novel. These are my favoured go-to reads when I need to simply read something light and entertaining. I love her books -- under this name as well as those under Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle -- though I think the Regency/Victorian Quick books are my favourites.

In her last few books I found she was getting a bit too dependent on her long-running Arcane Society theme, and the stories were starting to sound 'samey'. Thankfully in this one she's back on form, and the story is fresh and funny.

Ursula Kern owns a secretarial agency in Victorian London. One of the women in her employ dies; Ursula is convinced it was murder. So she resigns from her current client, former archaeologist Slater Roxton, in order to investigate. Slater, however, is not about to let her disappear from his sight, and so joins her in her investigations (along with his requisite household staff of endearing oddballs). Sparks are flying every which way in this story, and this pairing seems well-matched. Ursula is independent and a bit of a smart-ass; Slater is strong and silent, with a troubled back story and a sensitive side.

There are lots of fun bits riffing on the Victorian crazes for botany and archaeological expeditions, not to mention new inventions like the typewriter. This follows Quick's general formula, one that succeeds for her every time, if the New York Times Bestseller list is to be believed. This was an enjoyable addition to her ever-growing list, and I think that the Kern Secretarial Agency could probably shoulder one or two more books.

This story has mysterious drugs, brothels, spurned wives, evil American assassins, lost civilizations, aged fallen actresses, blackmail, scandal....and a main character who uses the labyrinth as a meditative tool. Really! I couldn't believe it. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you may know that I teach and use the labyrinth, and to see it here both as a metaphor and an actuality was pretty neat.

Slater has an old Roman tile labyrinth in the basement of his London home, and early in the book he wakens from a nightmare, and heads to the labyrinth for answers:

He knew that the dream was his mind's way of telling him that he needed to rethink some of his logic.
He needed to walk the labyrinth...

...the tile path formed an intricate, convoluted pattern that eventually led to the center. Some would have said that it looked like a maze. But a maze, with its many pathways that ended in dead ends, was designed as a puzzle, created to confuse and bewilder. His labyrinth had only a single entrance and one true path the eventually brought the seeker to the center of the complicated design.

The very act of walking the labyrinth was a form of meditation requiring concentration and focus. The exercise helped him to see patterns hidden in chaos...
Time did not matter when he walked the labyrinth. If he tried to hurry the meditative process he would not see the pattern. It was only when he ceased to care about finding the answer that it would come to him.

In sum, I really enjoyed this read and thought it was a strong, creative, fun story. If you're already a fan of hers or if you like modern sensibilities in a story that is both set in the past and told with humour, you may find this romantic romp enjoyable too.

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Further Reading:

For another tale using gardens and botany as a major theme, you could try Barbara Michaels' The Dancing Floor. While it is less snappy and more of a traditional supernaturally inflected, faux-gothic romantic suspense story (and has a lot less frank sexual content) it still has the same appeal of setting and of a strong romantic connection between the lead characters.

And if what you are looking for next is simply a story of witty characters, an archaeological element, and a growing relationship between two supremely self-confident and pleasantly obnoxious lead characters, you can't go wrong with the first book in the Amelia Peabody series, Crocodile on the Sandbank, which, of all the lengthy series, is the most like a romance novel.