historical romance brings classic tale to modern life

Anne Fortier’s Juliet is a mixture of romance, whodunit, coming-of-age and historical fiction.

When Julie’s aunt Rose dies, she is left not with half an inheritance, but with a wooden box containing a secret.

Julie’s much more successful, and much nastier, sister Janice gets Rose’s house – and all it’s debts – much to Julie’s delight.
The secret in the box turns out to be a bunch of documents and letters that lead Julie to randomly decide to return to Sienna, Italy, where her parents died and where her personal history may be unravelled.
It’s in Sienna that Julie discovers that she, and her sister, are scions of an ancient Italian family – which may have been the source of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic tale.
Titillated by the possible connection, Julie ignores the warning signals of mysterious men following her, mysterious policemen being overly interested in her whereabouts and mysteriously friendly “long lost relatives”.
Obviously the secret of the box, the secret of her parents deaths and even the possible secret connection to the fabled Juliet, could lead to a lucrative payday for someone.
Eventually Janice – the more organised and practical sister – discovers what Julie is up to and turns up in Sienna ready to sort it all out. Once again, Julie is “saved” by her sister.
After a few historical twists and turns, with some very obvious fudging of historical facts, the secret is revealed, the romantic hero turns out to be a cad and the sisters rediscover their love for each other ... of course.
Still, Juliet is nicely written; the pacing is tight, the characters mostly realistic if a little stereotypical, and Fortier has a nice turn of descriptive phrasing especially when describing the streets of Sienna.
There is plenty of action, lots of romance, burning gazes and heaving chests, as well as a bit of magic; Juliet is a fun read, perfect for the Christmas holidays.

Juliet by Anne Fortier is published by HarperCollins and is available from good book stores and online.

ann aguirre continues the corine solomon story in hell fire; action, thrills & the supernatural

Hell Fire returns readers to Ann Aguirre's Corine Solomon series begun in Blue Diablo. Corine helped her ex, Chance, find his mother with her ability to 'handle' objects or read information and emotions from things left behind. 

Read my review of Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre: Ann Aguirre's Blue Diablo brings new dimension to overcrowded urban fantasy genre 

So now Chance has to return with Corine to the town she was born in, Kilmer, and discover the reason behind her mother's terrible death. 

Aguirre's world is peopled by characters who can use magic, who are born with various sorts of powers, like Corine's 'handling', Chance's incredible good luck and others' abilities as empaths and mediums.
But her world is also our world; there are bills to pay, papers to sign, businesses to run and emotional relationships to deal with. 

Unlike many recent books in the urban fantasy genre, Aguirre doesn't dwell on the sex and romance too much. For her characters and storylines the love and romance is simply a part of being human.
Corine is an ordinary woman with an extraordinary gift, but she's troubled by the same insecurities we are. Is her arse too big? Does Chance really love her or he just after her talents? Was her mother really murdered?
OK, maybe not the same issues as all of us. Still, it's refreshing to read an urban fantasy novel without having to deal with too much unreality.
When Corine and Chance finally get to Kilmer they discover a town that's been forgotten; literally. No one else can find it on the map, it's not on the GPS nor has anything been added to it since Corine left when she was a teen.
Obviously there's something going on, even without Corine's memories of her mother being burned to death by people in dark hooded cloaks.
The pair also discover that over the years people have been going missing, and no body, not even the police, can be bothered going into the forest to look for them. 

Obviously that's where Corine is headed, but first she needs to find somewhere to stay where the landlady won't try to hex her, get Chance out of jail from being in the wrong place when an old lady died and try to solve the issue of whether or not she's going to sleep with her new magical friend Jesse.
Aguirre's storylines mix up action, thrills and esoteric magic in a clever way that enables the reader to easily slip into her world. It will be interesting to see how the series develops; book three is already on its way.

Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

more psy-changeling action & romance from nalini singh in caressed by ice

New Zealand-based author Nalini Singh returns to her world of Psy – humans who have psychic powers and no emotions – and Changelings – were-animals.
In the first two books of the series, Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat, two Psy women who were fighting to remain sane and a part of their emotionally barren world, fall in love with two were-animals – a werewolf and a werejaguar – while fighting to both stay alive and hunt down someone who's killing Changeling girls.

Read my review of Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat: Nalani Singh's Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat from her Psy-Changeling series offer romantic urban fiction with a little bit of bite 

In the latest book, Caressed by Ice, readers meet one of those girls. Brenna Shane Kincaid was abducted by an insane Psy who raped her mind and damaged her terribly before she was rescued by a combined group of Changelings and renegade Psy. 

Now trying to recover both physically and mentally, Brenna is trapped by the solicitousness of her family and friends. The only person she feels comfortable with, oddly enough, is one of the renegade Psy, Judd Lauren.
Unfortunately for Brenna, although Judd has removed himself from the Psy-Net – the link that keeps the Psy in touch no matter where they are – he did so only for his family. He's continued to use and rely on the "conditioning" that has controlled his emotions all his life.
Because Judd has a secret; not only is he renegade Psy, he's also a a former 'Arrow', a psy-assassin.
Like Singh's previous books, the Psy-Changeling world is more a decoration for what is essentially a romance novel. The fiery Brenna will eventually melt the ice-cold assassin.
However Singh's addition of political manoeuvring among the Psy Council, the continued concerns about insane Psy running around hurting people and the attempts by Judd's contacts to try to sabotage the Psy-Net, all add a bit of action and intrigue to what could have been a boring concept.
Singh proved in her other series, Guild Hunter, that she's capable of more than just romance. Angel's Blood and Archangel's Kiss are both good, solid urban fantasy stories where the romance doesn't take over too much.
It's to be hoped that she'll continue to develop the Psy-Changeling series into something a little more substantial. Otherwise she'll end up tagged with the supernatural sex label and will go unnoticed for her other abilities.

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

stephanie laurens' latest regency romp, the brazen bride, continues the black cobra quartet with feisty heroines and heroic officers

Stephanie Laurens returns her fans to the world of the Regency rake and the feisty heroine in her third instalment of The Black Cobra Quartet, The Brazen Bride. 

Yes, the dashing young men in uniform, on secret missions to save the world, whilst simultaneously managing to sweep swooning – but feisty and apparently quite sexually liberated – off their feet, before ending up in a loving, and raunchy, marriage.
Much as the above sentence can be read as Laurens' formula for her best-selling Regency romance novels, and formula it is, it does nothing to explain why these books are so much damn fun to read. 

In The Brazen Bride, readers follow the story of Logan Monteith, one of the four British officers tasked with getting an important document from India to England, while avoiding the dreaded Black Cobra – a blood-thirsty gang of thugs and assassins. Caught by three of them on his ship to England, Logan is wounded but manages to kill his attackers just as his ship goes down with all hands – except him.
Washed ashore, he's rescued and rehabilitated by the lovely Linnet Trevission – lady of a manor who isn't too shy to take what she wants; innuendo intended.
As he recovers, Logan grows to love the estate, its people, and – of course – the fiery Linnet. Cue descriptions of her burnished red hair.
However, as his memory returns, Logan realises that he has to leave his new-found home and make the perilous journey onward to hand over his vital document.
Luckily Linnet won't be dissuaded from helping him out; ensuring their romance continues spiced by discoveries, attacks and declarations of intent.
What makes Laurens' books a cut above the usual run of the mill Regency romance, is that she manages to add some action to her stories. The thread of the Black Cobra attacks and the reason behind the men's journeys allows the reader to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story.
The last officer is still on his way, and Laurens' next book The Reckless Bride will tie all the stories together and catch the baddies for good – I can't wait.

The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens is published by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins and is available from good book stores and online.

more raunchy regency romance in anna campbell's my reckless surrender

Anna Campbell is described as the 'Queen of Regency noir' on the blurb of her latest book, My Reckless Surrender, and that's exactly what she is. 

The Australian writer has built a reputation for herself for a certain kind of racy, historical romance, centred on the Regency period in England. Her books are peopled by Dukes and Duchesses, Lords and Ladies, well-bred but poverty stricken heroines, and dark, brooding heroes.
In My Reckless Surrender, they're all there. You have Mrs Diana Carrick, a well-bred widow who needs to sell her soul to ensure the comfort of her aging father, thanks to the machinations of a nasty, dying Marquess.
Her anti-hero is the jaded Earl of Ashcroft, an excruciatingly handsome rake who happens to have something the threatening Marquess of Burnley wants.
Right from the start, My Reckless Surrender leaps into the raunchy sex, as Diana throws herself at the Earl attempting to get him to sleep with her. As the story continues, you discover why she's doing something that's completely against her upbringing, but the whole ridiculous scenario never seems entirely justified.
On her website Campbell points out her views that there's nothing wrong with a good romance book, she feels they are empowering for women and doesn't hold with modern feminist views that this sort of thing is 'supporting the patriarchal state'.
I'm not entirely sure I can agree with her on that point. All her heroines are supposedly strong women, trying to make their way in the world, using whatever wiles they have, but the moment a lord of some sort kisses them, they're all weak-kneed and tumbling into bed.
Romance novels like Campbells are fantasy – not a vampire or werewolf in sight, yet they are as unlikely as any supernatural story. There should be a genre of romantic fantasy or fantasy romance to describe books like My Reckless Surrender.
Not that there's anything wrong with a well-written, raunchy love story. It is, after all, just as escapist as any fantasy or science fiction work. But one would hope that some of the independence of urban fantasy heroines would rub off on these historical gals.
Still, Campbell is the queen of this genre. The historicity of her books can't be denied, nor can the sensuality. My Reckless Surrender is, like all her books, a quality escapist read for anyone who wishes some handsome Earl would come along and sweep them off their feet – even if it's just for a little while.

My Reckless Surrender by Anna Campbell is published by Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins, and is available from good book stores and online. 

halfway to the grave by jeaniene frost is another vampire urban fantasy romance but it's not too bad

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost is another step in Gollancz' push to be the home of all urban fantasy romance, and the first in Frost's Night Huntress series.

Yet again, readers, we have a feisty female character with a touch of the supernatural – this time she's half vampire – and a bad boy vampire who's really got a heart of, well, you know the story.
Which is such a shame really, because Frost isn't a bad writer and the plot is a bit more punchy than the usual run of guff that's overflowing the bookshelves at the moment.
Still, urban fantasy romance obviously sells – yes, yes, we all have that nasty Twilight stuff to thank for this, despite the fact that the real genre is so much better; Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris and Anne Rice for example – so Gollancz keeps publishing it.
And I shouldn't really complain as I love the genre as much as the next person, but there's good stuff, great stuff and very little that will become classic stuff.
Frost is, at least, good. Catherine 'Cat' Crawfield is a girl with a major chip on her shoulder. Her father was a vampire, her mother was raped as a teen and has been damaged beyond repair by a judgemental town, repressed parents and a fear that he'll return.
But at least she loves her daughter, although she's taught Cat to hate half of herself and expects her to go out and murder people, sorry vampires, when she's not studying to get into college.
Cat's been lucky so far, she's managed to kill off a number of vamps without anything too bad happening to her, but all that is about to change. Instead of picking up the usual blood-hungry, horny vampire at the local bar – as a prelude to stabbing him with a stake – Cat gets another hunter.
Oh, he's a vampire alright, but he's also a vampire hunter. So, Cat's caught in a bind; should she learn from him or keep trying to kill him? Needless to say, said vampire is hot and Cat's trying not to be interested, after all, ALL vampires are evil, right?
Frost manages not to make Halfway to the Grave too teenage-angst, but again it's essentially a romance with some fangs, stakings and learning how to fight. But the plot has a twist and additions like people-smuggling and a shadowy government organisation add spice to the storyline.
If you like the genre, and let's face it, who doesn't at the moment, Halfway to the Grave is not a bad example, and like many of these books, it's the first in a series so you know you'll have something to read for a while yet.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

a new theme in urban fantasy; non-religious angels and archangels from nalini singh

Hard on the heels of Lyndsay Sands' Argeneau vampire novels comes a new series from New Zealander Nalini Singh from the same publisher and with the same overall marketing concept – supernatural romance.

Luckily in Singh's books, the vampires have been replaced by angels and archangels. Oh, there are vampires as well, and vampire hunters – who work for the angels because in this world vampires are actually made by angels.

How the angels got to be involved in our everyday world and where they originally came from and whether or not they have any relation to god, is never explained. One simply accepts that in Singh's world, the angels make vampires, the vamps work for the angels and the archangels run everything.
So, once you're over that bit of illogic, the story unfolds from the perspective of a Guild Hunter, Elena Deveraux.
Elena is a 'born Hunter', which means that she's a bit stronger, a bit faster and has an uncanny ability to track vampires by scent alone. She's beautiful (of course), tough and oh-so-slightly emotionally damaged. Just how damaged becomes more and more apparent as her adventure unfolds.
Being one of the best at what she does, Elena ends up with a contract to hunt down a being for the Archangel of New York, Raphael. Yep, some of the names are reminiscent of real life.
Raphael (of course) is heart-thumpingly handsome, aloof, awe-inspiring – he's got golden-tipped wings after all – and dangerous. He once broke every bone in a vampire's body and left him in the middle of the city for days; the vampire was still alive.
So, Elena naturally finds herself attracted to Raphael, but she's damn sure she's not going to give in and become Raphael's lover and human pet. At least, that's what she keeps telling herself.
As for the job she's been hired to do, Elena discovers that it's not a normal vampire hunt, this one is far more dangerous and secretive – if any of her friends or family find out who she's actually hunting, Raphael will kill them.
Angel's Blood introduces Singh's new fantasy world with detail, action, emotional turbulence and romance. These are urban fantasy romance novels after all. However, unlike Lyndsay Sands' series, these books have a lot more action... dare I say, a lot more bite.
Raphael is not some "ordinary bloke wrapped in a fantasy skin", he is a contradiction of awesomely powerful being, vulnerable man and inscrutable ruler. He is ruthless and he is violent, but he is immensely loyal and has an enormous capacity to love – even if that love is so powerful as to smother those who receive it.
Elena is tough, independent, resourceful and desperate to hang on to not only her humanity, but also the terrible things in her past that have made her who she is. Like Raphael, she is a mix of good and bad, full of contradictions, but these are the qualities that make Singh's characters more complex and more interesting for the reader.
Unlike Sands' stories, Angel's Blood and Archangel's Kiss are not single-book stories, nor are they all wrapped up happily ever after plot endings. Singh's books are much more of the traditional fantasy format, with each book adding to the story. The books are also much more interesting in general.
I love a good vampire story as much as the next fantasy reader, but even I have become a little bored with the ubiquitous nature of vampires in popular culture. Angels as non-religious, non-pious beings who have sex, scheme, manipulate and fall in love are new.
Thankfully Singh has a great turn of phrase as well; she is a good writer. The recurring theme of Elena's nightmares and how it's written, for example, adds a sense of tension across the plot lines of both books, with an eventual denouement in Archangel's Kiss. A tightness of prose that is missing in many of this genre's newest authors.
So, if you're looking for something new in the genre of urban fantasy, give Singh's series a go. You won't be bored, and you may even find yourself a new favourite author.

Angel's Blood and Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh are published by Gollancz and are available from good book stores and online.

Read my review of Lyndsay Sands' latest novel: Clichés abound in Lyndsay Sands' latest Argeneau novel

clichés abound in lyndsay sands' latest argeneau novel, tall, dark and hungry

The Argeneau family of vampire brothers returns in Lyndsay Sands' latest novel, Tall, Dark and Hungry. Yes, the clichés continue.

The previous two novels in the series that I have reviewed – Single, White Vampire and Love Bites – are part of the Argeneau series with such catchy titles as A Bite to Remember and Vampires Are Forever. It just goes to show, if something works the first, second and third time around, why not just keep it up.
I have to say, when I first read Love Bites, I hadn't seen the other novels and thought it a cute take on the current craze for all things fanged and hot. However after the second book, and now third in the series, the conceit is getting little tired.
Likewise, in Love Bites, the brother in question – Etienne – was at least involved in a bit of vampire-type action ie. Being stalked by a deranged vampire-wannabe who actually injured him, leading to his meeting his wife-to-be.
Read my review of Love Bites: Fun, vampire romance with tongue, firmly, in cheek
Single, White Vampire, the next one in the series saw a reclusive vampire author hook up with his editor – no action at all to speak of there – and now in the third series it's even less exciting.
Read my review of Single, White Vampire: Light, escapist reading
The couple from Love Bites, Lucern and Kate, are getting married so Kate's cousin Terri arrived in New York a few weeks earlier to help out. She's put up at Lucern's brother, Bastien's, apartment and that's about it.
They both like each other, they solve a few wedding disasters like a bankrupt caterer and a few family issues, like a vampire cousin who can't ingest blood from a bag, but really, that's it.
They fall in love, there's a misunderstanding as Bastien tries to explain he's a vampire – which in the Argeneau series means they're actually from Atlantis and have nano-bytes in their blood which is why they're so beautiful, live forever etc – and then there's a wedding to be planned: The End.
So, the first time around the conceit of the titles, the 'I may be a vampire but I'm just an ordinary bloke' attitude and nice descriptions of sex made the books a fun read. But, really, this is all very, very old the third time around.
In fact, Sands' books are simply pulp romances dressed up with vampires. Unfortunately the vampires aren't even slightly exciting. It's the 'Twilight' effect: Take a concept with centuries of tradition, thousands of permutations of moral dilemma, an edge of danger, a sense of transgression and rebellion, and whitewash the lot of it with middle-class suburbanisation, Middle America bible-bashing and lowest, common denominator pop culture.
What you get are vampire stories with no bite – pun intended in the case of Twilight. You lose the dichotomy of good versus evil, the psychological tug of war between sex and blood, and the true moral dilemma of immortality.
So, if you're looking for a light-hearted romantic read, Tall, Dark and Hungry is fine. However, it's a mere feather-weight when compared to the much more complicated and fascinating series from Laurell K Hamilton or Anne Rice.
For real vampires with fangs, moral grey areas and truly raunchy sex, stay with the mistresses of the genre and leave this series on the shelf.

Tall, Dark and Hungry by Lyndsay Sands is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

single white vampire by lynsday sands is light, escapist reading

Lyndsay Sands returns with another book in her Argeneau vampire series, this time with the tongue in cheek title of Single White Vampire. Like the previous work, Love Bites, the story centres on a family of vampires – the Ageneaus.

This time it's eldest brother Lucern who is the centre of the piece. He's a writer, of romances no less, who is about to have his peaceful life invaded by feisty, young, beautiful Kate C Leever, his new editor.
The plot of Sands' books are fairly predictable – girl meets boy (in this case a vampire boy), boy meets girl; neither of them really want someone in their lives, certainly not a feisty/brooding, beautiful/handsome, passionate/passionate human/vampire.
Naturally enough, it all works out in the end after a number of humorous escapades – this time including cod-pieces and a break and enter attempt.
Single White Vampire isn't a bad book, it's well-written, the characters are formulaic but not ordinary, the prose is good and some of the scenarios are quite funny. But this isn't literature, nor is it the best example of the urban fantasy / supernatural fantasy genre available these days.
If anything, Sands' first book, Love Bites, was better. The plot more adventurous, the characters more developed and the outcome more believable. This time around it seems a little like Sands' is reaching, trying to rationalise the four book deal she (presumably) got on the basis of one idea – love in the vampire world – and the success of her predecessors.
However, if you're looking for a bit of light, escapist reading, there are worse books out there than Single White Vampire; trust me, I know, I've had to review them.

Single White Vampire by Lyndsay Sands is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

the historical romance of the elusive bride by stephanie laurens; a regency romp

Stephanie Laurens is one of Australia's most popular romance fiction authors, in fact, she's been voted the country's favourite romance author at least once.
In The Elusive Bride, Laurens continues the intrigue and romance begun in The Untamed Bride, the first book in her new The Black Cobra Quartet.
Just about all Laurens' books are set in Regency England – lots of dashing heroes, feisty maidens and talk about a 'well-turned leg', highwaymen and inheritances. Exactly the right ingredients for fabulous historical novels.
Now, while the general details of history and dress may be correct in Laurens' books, there is a touch of unreality in the actions of many of the women she describes. It seems that what is generally believed, historically, to have been the social mores and niceties of Regency England, things like no sex before marriage and a complete lack of knowledge about such sex, don't exist in these tales of romance.
While the swashbuckling gentlemen of Laurens' books appear mostly true to historical records, her heroines are much more modern – why, they even seem to go about having affairs and seducing said swashbuckling heroes.
This is great for the story, but perhaps not so historical.If this sort of thing bothers you, then Laurens' romances may not be for you. Still, Laurens' books are fiction and in every good romance there should be a bit of fantasy, right?
So, The Elusive Bride opens with Miss Emily Ensworth racing down a dusty hill in India clasping an important document to her heaving bosom, while blood-thirsty natives chase her. Oh yes, these books tend to be more than a little 'politically incorrect”.
By the way, Emily is in India to find herself a suitable husband. Apparently she's managed to go through all the eligible gentlemen in England and so is reduce to tracking one down in the colonies.
Emily escapes the natives, thanks to the self-sacrifice of a swashbuckling hero, and finds herself meeting up with a group of surly British officers; one of which makes a definite impact on our Emily.
The book proceeds with a feisty Emily deciding that she may have met her 'one' and her attempts to track him down and find out if he's the man she will marry. The poor bloke, of course, knows nothing about this. He's just got to put up with Emily adding herself to his very dangerous mission and trying to defend her from all sorts of other nasty natives – as well as trying not to give in and ravish her on the spot.
The Elusive Bride may not make historical sense, Emily may be a brazen little hussy who needs a good slap and a stiff talking to, but this is an enjoyable read. It isn't serious literature, but nor is it unreadable rubbish.
Laurens has a lovely way with dialogue, her characters are well-fleshed out and the plot mostly makes sense. The fact that no real man of Regency England would allow a woman to interfere with his dangerous mission for the crown, nor would he take her up on a night of hot sex without marrying her or dumping her afterwards, doesn't matter. Who cares about reality when you can just sit back with a nice box of chocolates and indulge yourself in an afternoon of light reading?

The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens is published by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins and is available from good book stores and online.

fun vampire romance with tongue, firmly, in cheek from lynsay sands

If you love a good romance and are partial to a bit of vampire-lore, the whole series of Argeneau Vampire books from Lyndsay Sands will be right up your alley.
There are 12 books in the series so far – Love Bites is the second one and continues to establish the series as a light-as-air confection of tall, dark and handsome strangers, unknowingly-stunning, strong-minded heroines and tongue (firmly) in cheek dialogue.
The book titles themselves give readers a fair idea of what the series is about: Single White Vampire, Tall, Dark & Hungry (yes, really), A Bite to Remember, Bite Me if you Can etc. You just want to grin inanely while reading them and get your hands on them all as soon as possible.
As per their romantic comedy genre, these books are not expected to be taken seriously, but they are expected to enjoyed. Like many romantic genre books, Sands' works are a somewhat guilty pleasure – at least for those who like to pretend they only read serious literature.
In Love Bites, Rachel Garrett, a lovely, but lonely, coroner inadvertently saves the life of one Etienne Argeneau – who turns up at her workplace on a slab. Only, of course, he's not exactly dead – he's just got a stake through the heart that's paralysed him. So, she pulls it out and he pops back to life.
Besides having oddly sensual dreams about the dead guy on the slab, which Rachel realises means she needs to get out more, life goes on. But, of course, their paths are about to cross again and this time it's Etienne's turn to save Rachel. There's a complication, naturally, which is eventually overcome, and, after a lot of sexual fantasies, heavy-breathing and actual sex, everyone lives happily ever after.
Which is great. That's the way these sorts of books are supposed to end up. No, it's not high literature, but it is a great, relaxing, romantic read. There's also a fair bit of pop cultural humour and great sex scenes – what more could you want?


Love Bites by Lyndsay Sands is published by Gollancz and is available from good book stores and online.

a woman's capacity to love

Niki Bruce reviews Tuscan Rose, historical fiction with a touch of magic realism.  

BELINDA Alexandra is an Australian author who has garnered wide acclaim for her novels Silver Wattle and White Gardenia, both of which have strong female protagonists, who battle the vagaries of life before triumphantly overcoming all obstacles.
 
Like her previous novels, Tuscan Rose, also features a feisty young female heroine – in this case an Italian orphan, deposited at a nunnery – who must overcome not only her lack of family, but later, the vicissitudes of World War II.

Rosa is blessed with a talent for music, nurtured by the nuns of Santo Spirito in Florence, and manages to parlay her skills into a position as a governess at the home of a local aristocrat.

At the same time, Fascism is growing in Italy and war is being whispered about in Europe. A naive young girl, Rosa, manages to get herself caught up in another person's scandal and ends up accused of something quite horrible. Packed off to jail, she is once again accosted by the nastiness of human nature.

Tuscan Rose is a mix of historical fiction, romance and coming-of-age tale. A thin thread of magic realism winds its way through the story, however, offering the story a bit more depth and imagination.

Rosa has another talent – somehow she can tell where things originated. She uses this skill throughout the story to both add mystery to her background and to move the plot along. The search for her heritage is an additional storyline, which unfortunately is rather easy to spot early on in the book. But don't worry, there's a neat twist to even it out in the conclusion.

The plot of Tuscan Rose can be read as quite simplistic, there are the accepted tropes of orphan girl thrust into the world, all unknowing, and overcoming trials and tribulations – even the language used to describe it is cliched – but the book has a saving grace (sorry, couldn't resist).

Alexandra has a lovely turn of phrase and a competent understanding of women and the way they think. There is an acceptance of Rosa's weaknesses – her tendency to be too trusting, her innocence and her fickleness in love – but there is also a celebration of her strengths. Rosa loves passionately and ruthlessly protects those she loves; she endures physical and emotion hardship without complaint and, finally, she takes her revenge coldly but not viscously.

Like women the world over and throughout history, Rosa typifies all that is honourable in a woman's capacity to love. Alexandra manages to endow Rosa with all these attributes without becoming saccharine however, which is to her credit. Rosa's story could easily have fallen into the sappy, love-story genre without the author's deft skill.

True, Tuscan Rose is no great piece of literature, but it is a good read. The historical scholarship is detailed enough to satisfy lovers of historical fiction and the romance and personalities of the characters will entertain readers looking for a gentle read.

Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra is published by HarperCollins and is available from good book stores and online.

First published on The Straits Times blogs on March 02, 2010

a romantic echo in time

Niki Bruce talks to author Diana Gabaldon about her latest Outlander book.


THE Outlander series of books have had a remarkably long, and successful, life and they are still going strong. The seventh in the series, An Echo in the Bone, has just been released, continuing the amazing story of Claire and Jamie Fraser.

According to its author, Diana Gabaldon, the story continues with no obvious end in sight. "The story exists outside of myself," she tells me on the phone from Sydney where she is finishing up her publicity tour.

For those who have never read one of the Outlander books, the story starts in Scotland in the 18th century with a 'handsome young man in a kilt' and an English woman who is somewhere she shouldn't be.

The premise comes, oddly enough, from an old Dr Who episode featuring that particular guy in the kilt, as well as the concept of time travel says Gabaldon. For that is what Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser is, a 20th century woman somehow sent back in time.

Still, Gabaldon says that the whole time travel concept came more from her character Claire than it did from the Dr Who episode. "I tried to beat her into submission," she says jokingly, but apparently the character had a mind of her own.

All seven books have focused on Claire and Jamie (the handsome Scott) and their abiding love through the ages; their children, relatives and friends and the odd historical personage.

Gabaldon started out as a university professor who decided one day that she was going to try writing a novel. With what seems to be characteristic determination, Gabaldon took to it like a duck to water and once on the path couldn't seem to stop.

"I didn't intend to publish the book, but I ended up with an agent by accident. We decided that I should stop writing while I could still lift the book, that's why there have been so many of them," says Gabaldon.

Her throwaway comment isn't as flippant as it seems; Gabaldon's books are literally doorstoppers, they're huge in size, scope, imagination, historical details and romance.

While the Outlander series has been described as historical fiction, it is really a romance – don't get me wrong, the historical detail and information is entirely there – but it's the love the two central characters have for each other that makes this such a lovely read.

In An Echo in the Bone, Jamie and Claire are in America at the time of the revolution. Jamie, as a Highland Scott and former supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie, is not exactly in favour of the English retaining a hold on the colony.

And so, the adventure continues as Jamie and Claire – and Jamie's nephew Ian – attempt to live their lives without become too caught up in the growing conflict. Of course, this isn't going to happen as Jamie has always been a fighter and Claire has always held 'strong opinions about freedom'.

Characters from the entire series re-appear adding complications to the storyline, naturally enough, including Lord John Grey and Jamie's illegitimate son, William – who thinks he is John's son. Jamie's adopted son Fergus is mixed up with the American rebels as well, and as Jamie and Claire attempt to return to Scotland calamity befalls them.

At the same time, Claire and Jamie's daughter Brianna, her husband Roger and their two children, have returned to modern times and are living in Scotland in Jamie's old home. The couple returned in the previous book because of their daughter's illness that could only be fixed with modern medicine. However, their idyllic life is about to come crashing down around the family as the both the past and the future catch up with them.

Medicine is a major theme throughout the Outlander series as Claire starts out as a nurse and becomes a doctor; a 'witch' or 'white lady' for the primitive past, since she knows about germs, creates basic penicillin and even comes up with a rough anesthetic during her forays into the past.

The 'science' of how this family manages to travel through time is relatively believable – based as it is on the use of 'ley lines' or the Earth's magnetic fields and some complicated, but verifiable, physics – 'unified field theory' anyone? Gabaldon understands it, at any rate, and her explanation is confident and reassuring.

In Echo in the Bone, Gabaldon leaves the reader with a major cliff-hanger, although she says she did try to tie up some loose ends. In the previous book – A Breath of Snow and Ashes – her fans panicked and assumed that because she'd tied up all the storylines, that it was the last book. So, Gabaldon says she had to leave something hanging this time around.

Unfortunately it takes about three years for Gabaldon to write an Outlander book – which mean fans will be waiting a while to have the latest cliff-hanger sorted out. Gabaldon says that the books take so long, not just because of the immense amount of research she does, but also because she's a very slow writer.

"I'm a slow, fiddly writer. I don't write anything except the actual text; I don't write an outline so I don't know what's going to happen or where the story is going. I start with a kernel of a sentence, build it into a scene over a couple of days. And I assemble a mental timeline about the sequence of events. Then pieces just coalesce," says Gabaldon.

She also does the research at the same time as she writes the story, which means sometimes visiting historical places a number of times, as she did for a major battle in An Echo in the Bone.

So, those who are waiting with bated breath for the next installment of Jamie and Claire's story will be waiting for a while. However, there's a graphic novel on the way in September 2010, following the story from the perspective of one of the other characters, which should keep the faithful happy.

For fans of the series, An Echo in the Bone, is a tour de force. There is enough action, intrigue, love, sex, romance, history, blood, gore and betrayal to keep anyone happy. Gabaldon has again delivered her signature interweaving plots and strong characters, both old favourites and new friends. All in all, if you have even a vague interest in historical fiction and/or romance, you can't pass up An Echo in the Bone and the Outlander series as a whole.

If, however, you've never read an Outlander novel, you really should start at the beginning, otherwise you'll not only miss all the adventure, but you'll have no idea of who anyone is. Luckily the next one won't be out for a couple of years, so you'll be able to finish the first seven in time for number eight.

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon is published by Orion Books and is available from good book stores and online.

First published on The Straits Times blogs on December 03, 2009

retreat into romance

Niki Bruce reviews a racy, romantic read that is perfect for your summer holidays.

EVERY now and then I am convinced to pick up a book in a genre other than my usual favourites of fantasy or science fiction. Usually this is because I'm stuck somewhere on holidays and have read everything else.
So when recently faced with a choice of an historical tome on Australia's experience of World War II and Anna Campbell's latest raunchy Regency romance novel, I went with the romance. And I wasn't disappointed.
Australian author Campbell is renowned for her traditional, sexy historical romances and has a string of successful novels to her name including Tempt the Devil, Untouched and Claiming the Courtesan.
In all her novels the heroines are feisty, beautiful waifs in some sort of situation that leaves them open to being saved by a handsome, aloof man – usually a lord of some kind. Captive of Sin, the latest novel, is in exactly this vein.
While it is commonly accepted that romance novels like these are not exactly 'fine literature', what is less well known is that they are some of the most popular books in the world and are hugely lucrative for publishers.
Raunchy romance novels – these are the ones with all the 'throbbing manhood' and 'heaving chests' references – are obviously guilty pleasures for all sorts of readers; including myself it seems.
In Captive of Sin the darkly brooding (sorry, can't help myself) Sir Gideon Trevithick is returning home to his Cornwall manse when he stumbles across a badly beaten waif. His intrinsic nobility ensures that he helps the young woman, despite knowing nothing about her and also being aware that she's been lying to him about her circumstances.
The pitiful waif, despite her beating and many injuries, shows she's got manners and some backbone, nicely convincing Sir Gideon of her own nobility. Naturally enough, the waif turns out to be a very rich heiress in fear of, if not her life, than definitely her virginity and her fortune.
On top of these problems, it seems that Sir Gideon has a dark secret of his own, something that haunts him from his heroic past. Of course it's the young heiress who is going to manage to sort out his problem and after a number of adventures where they prove themselves to each other there's a happy ending.
While the formula is obvious, and highly unlikely to have occurred in real history, that's not the point. The point of reading something like Captive of Sin is to enjoy another form of complete fantasy. After all, what girl hasn't once dreamed of being swept off her feet by a handsome, lordly man who'll love her passionately and solve all her problems?
At least in Campbell's books, the heroines are quite able to stand up for themselves and often manage to be the ones to save the day – as occurs in Captive of Sin. So, any feminist reading this won't be too disturbed by the whole 'macho' tone of traditional romances.
If you're sensitive to 'sexy' writing, be warned, there is a fair bit of explicit sex going – but the pair involved are married, so that may soothe some feathers and ruffle others however.
Captive of Sin isn't high literature, but it is a good bit of summer fun, romance and fantasy.
Captive of Sin by Anna Campbell is published by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins and is available at good book stores and online.

First published on The Straits Times blogs on January 11, 2010