Remembered by Tamera Alexander

Remembered is the third in Tamera Alexander’s Fountain Creek Series. This last installment features the tales of Veronique Girard and Jack Brennan.

Parisienne, Veronique Girard is used to a luxurious life as the companion to a noble Frenchwoman. When her mother passes away, however; Veronique is manipulated into embarking on a quest to search for her father in the far distant, and utterly foreign Colorado Territory.

Jack Brennan is a man on a mission. He has been leading families west for thirteen years, since a tragedy took his wife and son. Now he has come to grips with his past and is ready to settle down.  He takes a job as freighter from the banks of Fountain Creek up into the mining camps.

His plans are disrupted when Veronique arrives in town and buys “his” wagon out from under him. When every other option fails and his obligations loom, he finally agrees to take her with him into the mining towns, in order to search for her father, in exchange for the use of her wagon.

The sparks fly as these two well-drawn characters are inexorably drawn together. The writing is accomplished and Ms. Alexander has a wonderful style. In particular, her characterization shines. She builds a delightful inspirational romance that comes complete with a satisfying end, and a rock solid foundation of truth that speaks to hearts. Highly recommended if you enjoy sweet romance.

 

The Affectionate Adversary by Catherine Marshall

I am incredibly sorry to say that I was disappointed in The Affectionate Adversary. I enjoyed the setting, particularly the time period, and the opening chapter, which was set in the Indian Ocean. However, I found the rest of the book lacking. The conflict felt contrived, in so far as the hero would tell the heroine that he could never see her again, and then she would send him a note, asking to meet, in order to explain that she could never see him again. Ms. Palmer did a good job of getting the research on the big things right (i.e. the corn laws, and their effect on the poor), but I didn’t feel that she was as successful in conveying the realities or the mindset of the era. Finally, her dialogue sounded stilted, much more so than expected of a historical novel. Particularly when compared to the inner monologues, which were not just less formal, but much more modern in tone. Unfortunately, this is not a book that I can recommend. 

Elementary, My Dear Watkins by Mindy Starns Clark

In Elementary, My Dear Watkins, the third of her Smart Chicks mystery series, Mindy Starns Clark really hits her stride. Don’t be fooled by the series name, this is not a chick lit novel, either in style, voice or even point of view.

Jo Tulip is hounded by her ex-fiance, Bradford, who begs for a chance to explain why he jilted her at the altar. Having moved on and found true love with her best friend, Danny, she has little interest in trying to reconcile, but his persistence pays off and she agrees to meet him. To her shock Bradford reveals much more than she bargained for. Not only was he paid to marry her, but her life is in danger. Jo can’t credit his assertions—until she is almost pushed in front of a subway train, and Bradford is seriously injured trying to save her life.

Danny Watkins is in Paris pursuing the opportunity of a lifetime for an aspiring photographer, an internship with Scene It magazine. It is a three-month commitment and he would be sitting on top of the world, if only he hadn’t had to leave Jo behind, in order to take the assignment. When someone tries to get him fired and odd things begin to happen he begins to become concerned about Jo’s safety, but what can he do from Europe?

The danger quickly escalates and Jo seeks refuge at her grandmother’s estate. As the mystery progresses, Jo must figure out how the development of a new medical miracle drug, an old will, and her almost marriage fitted together to place her in danger. And more importantly, how to escape the threat.

There were a few clichés at the beginning of the novel, (i.e. the unseen hand pushing the heroine in front of a speeding train), but it quickly moved into new territory. I found it interesting that there was little romantic conflict in this novel. Jo and Danny know they are meant for each other, and they act as a team. In that sense it was almost as if Ms. Clark was portraying an already married couple. That is not to say that there was no conflict, there was plenty, it was just from other, outside sources. I personally found this to be refreshing. They had made a commitment to one another and they never wavered in that regard.

The ending was nicely twisted and the resolution quite satisfying. I definitely recommend this novel.

The Falcon and the Sparrow by M.L. Tyndall

M.L. Tyndall is known for her popular The King’s Pirates series. However, in The Falcon and the Sparrow she draws inspiration from the intrigue and elegance of the Napoleonic era.

Miss Dominique Dawson, is the daughter of an English admiral and a Frenchwoman. After her parents die, she is left financially destitute and adrift in Paris. She turns to a distant cousin for help, but her hopes of returning to a comfortable life are crushed, when she is forced to make a terrible bargain. To save her younger brother’s life, Dominique must agree to spy on her homeland.

Admiral Chase Randal is landlocked, a temporary replacement for a member of the Admiralty board. Despite the honor, he would much rather be at sea. Ashore he finds too many reminders of the wife he lost.

Though struggling with overwhelming grief, Admiral Randal is trying to be a good father to his bright, affectionate son, William. To that end, he hires Dominique Dawson as a governess for the boy. Chase finds the new governess inexplicably timid, but decides to give her a chance for her father’s sake.

Dominique quickly bonds with her young charge, and her heart goes out to his stern father. Against her will, she comes to care for the members of the Randal household—especially her employer. Still her brother’s life is in jeopardy, and Dominique faces her greatest struggle of all in turning her future over to God, and trusting his plans for her.

Chase is quickly enchanted by his new governess, but fearful of loving again. He cannot bear the risk of losing someone else.  At the same time, the Admiralty is informed that Chase has a spy in his home and he lays a trap to catch any would be traitor.

The plot thickens as Dominique and Chase navigate the treacherous seas of society and espionage, and the clock is running out.

Anyone who enjoyed Ms. Tyndall’s first series won’t be disappointed with this new offering. Her writing is a deft blend of romance and adventure, with an interesting setting and unique characters. In particular, she works hard to make her characters real—with very human foibles and feelings. I definitely recommend The Falcon and the Sparrow. 

The Noble Fugitive by T. Davis and Isabella Dunn

I picked up The Noble Fugitive, by T. Davis and Isabella Dunn, largely because of the setting. The word Venice is a siren call to me, and one day I will have the wherewithal to visit it—hopefully before it sinks into the sea.  I wasn’t disappointed with my choice.

The Noble Fugitive chronicles the lives of Serafina Gavi and John Falconer. She is the spoiled daughter of a Venetian doge, intent on running away with her art instructor, a young man named Luca. Even after she is caught and falls ill, she can think of nothing else. Her father is sent on a secret mission to America, and he takes his wife and daughter with him. Though she loves her parents, she again runs away when the ship docks in Portsmouth. Her plan is to find her aunt, Agatha Donatella, and enlist her aid in returning to Venice.

Luckily for young Serafina, Agatha is having none of it. She is dying, but she shares with Serafina, the truth about her lover. In possession of a broken heart, but no money and no other options, Serafina is forced to enter service as a scullery maid at the great house of Harrow Hall.

John Falconer is a man with a past that hangs over him like a cloud. Once a slaver, he has since given his life to Christ. Although he knows God has forgiven him, he cannot forgive himself for the reprehensible things he has done. He, and a couple of other men on the island of Trinidad, are determined to prove to Parliament that although trafficking in slaves has been outlawed for years, it is still going on. The stakes are magnified many times when they discover that the governor of Trinidad has been bribed into renewing the license for at least one such market. The conspiracy leads as high as the court, if not the crown.

When one of Falconer’s cohorts is murdered, he must begin a perilous journey to take the proofs they have gathered to England, so that the matter can be put before Parliament. His progress is complicated when he is accused of his friends murder and becomes an outlaw. He frog-leaps his way across the Caribbean and up the American coast until he reaches Georgetown. Here he throws his lot in with an invalid, Gareth Powers, and his young daughter, Hannah. Gareth is a pamphleteer devoted to ending slavery. Danger stalks their progress as they cross the Atlantic together.

Serafina and Falconer meet at Harrow Hall, when Gareth seeks refuge there from his enemies. After Falconer rescues her from an attack by the Duke’s son, she leaves her employment there, to act as a caretaker for little Hannah Powers. Falconer quickly falls in love with the beautiful, young Venetian, but he knows nothing can ever come of it.

Truly repentant for her foolish willfulness, Serafina has been humbled. She recognizes the rightness of the fight against slavery, and with the prompting of the Powers family she agrees to use her artistic abilities in their last salvo. The question of slavery, and whether it should be abolished entirely, is about to be put up in Parliament. In the end, Serafina and Falconer must step beyond what they believe themselves capable of, to fight for a greater cause.

My one small criticism is that the prologue would have been more effective as a chapter in the middle of the book. Written from Serafina’s point of view, it doesn’t add any information that couldn’t have waited until later to be introduced.

I had difficulty getting past Serafina’s selfish stupidity in the early chapters. Nobody stone me, but she reminded me of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, another character I didn’t really like. But that was the point. In essence, The Noble Fugitive is about redemption. I liked John Falconer immensely, but that was because I met him after he met the Lord. Had I met him as a murdering, thieving, slave ship skipper, I wouldn’t have been so impressed.  By the end of the novel I was rooting for them both. 

The Healing Season by Ruth Axtell Morren

Today’s authors don’t often give us a glimpse into the rougher side of the Regency, but in The Healing Season, Ms. Morren tackles what would have been some of the very real, and pressing issues of the day. The glitter of society is a distant world to Methodist surgeon, Ian Russell, as far removed as Paris Hilton’s existence is from mine. He is driven by his work among the poor. It is his heart’s desire to establish a children’s hospital in the heart of London, at a time when many physicians refused to treat children.

When summoned to help a young woman who has botched an attempted abortion, Ian meets Eleanor Neville, who discovered her friend on the brink of death. Together the two work through the night to try to save the girl’s life.

Mrs. Neville, is Eleanor’s stage name, and she is one of the leading actresses in London’s burlettas. When she and Ian are increasingly thrown together she fights her attraction to the one “good” man she has ever met. Having never been introduced to the Bible or church she find his devotion to his ideals, utterly incomprehensible.

Ian finds the beautiful actress an increasing temptation, and struggles against the attraction. She has been used by several men, while he has kept himself pure for his future wife, and he cannot believe her to be anything other than a trap set to ensnare him.

The conflict sizzles as the two are drawn inexorably together. It is only when they discover the power of Godly forgiveness that they can move beyond their pasts, and their prejudices to fine one another.

My only criticism is that there seemed to be no satisfying resolution of the final situation with the villain. He is portrayed as an insanely jealous man, and Eleanor goes into hiding to escape him. Even with some very strong clues, he doesn’t even attempt to find her. His reaction seems strangely anticlimactic, and I kept wondering when he would come for her.

I found the Healing Season to be well researched and engrossing. Ms. Morren is definitely skilled at developing her setting and giving the reader a sense of time and place. It would have been very easy for Ms. Morren to rely on sensationalism as she presented the harsher elements of the story, but she handled the gritty realities with sensitivity. Overall, I would recommend this book highly.

 

Premier

I always wanted to have a premier. Until I have a little baby book to nudge on out into the world, a blog is as good a way as any to introduce myself to the world. This blog will be devoted to reviews of Christian fiction-specifically, but not exclusively-historical fiction and mysteries. At the bottom of this page is a batting list of what I will be reviewing next. 

My purpose in reviewing is never to be critical for the sake of it, and I will never post anything to be mean-spirited. If I offend please know that I did not set out to do so. I welcome comments on my comments and enjoy a good debate as well as anyone, so fire away!