Lady
Sarah’s Son
By Gayle Wilson (Harlequin Historical – 1999, $5.99)
The
conflict between the characters in Lady Sarah’s Son is based on a
promise of silence made to a dying 16 year-old girl. The characters are
so bound by duty and honour that they come close to losing everything.
Gayle
Wilson has done a fantastic job of making the reader believe these
characters would behave this way. It’s rather difficult to like people
who appear to be this tragic and fatalistic in their outlook, but their
earnest sense of honour really grows on you.
Lady
Sarah Spenser is rich and still in love with the boy next door, Justin
Tolbert. Her reputation is damaged because she is taking care of her
late sister’s child Andrew, whom everyone assumes is her own
illegitimate child. Lady Sarah cannot defend her own character without
breaking a promise to protect her dead sister’s reputation.
When
the scandal first tainted Lady Sarah four years earlier, she broke their
betrothal to Justin, who was off fighting Napoleon. Now, the boy next
door is back from the war, a wounded hero and an earl.
Little
Andrew has Lady Sarah’s love but craves a male influence. Lady Sarah
offers to marry Justin, who is desperately poor, by proposing to
refurbish his inherited estate. In return, Justin must teach Andrew how
to take his place in the world.
Classically,
Sarah loves Justin and Justin loves Sarah, but neither will ever admit
it to the other as the secret and apparent betrayal conspires to pull
them apart.
This
is a hand to your brow, eyes cast heavenward sigh with angst galore.
Melodrama at it’s finest.
Infinity
By Maggie Shayne (Jove – October 1999, $8.99)
Infinity
is a beautifully drawn melodrama with a classic good and evil theme.
It
is a prequel/sequel to Maggie Shayne’s smash 1998 hit, Eternity the
story of Raven and Duncan.
Infinity
is the love story of the Light High Witches, immortals Arianna Sinclair
and Nicodemus Lachlan and the regaining of Nicodemus’ heart after five
centuries of living death.
Arianna
is a wild and impetuous teenager living dangerously in medieval
Scotland. She is mourning the loss of her beloved little sister, Raven
who drowned while saving Arianna’s life. In her grief she seeks
answers from the old Crones who live near her village, bringing her
danger from the local rabble. Nicodemus, cousin to the local laird,
protects Arianna by claiming her as his wife. But he is not ready to
commit his heart to her, because his heart is immortal and has been hurt
to often already. Arianna win’s Nicodemus’ love but, she is killed,
comes back to life and is kidnapped by a Dark immortal witch.
The
witch steals Nicodemus’ heart leaving him in a death-like state for
centuries, until present-day Arianna finds the secret to reviving her
true love so they can continue to live forever.
Shayne
has created two more characters that will bruise your heart with their
tragic intensity.
Perfect
Fit
By Lynda Simmons (Zebra Bouquet Romance – November 1999, $4.99)
A
cute story with heart, it has all the right elements_ ambitious but
inhibited heroine meets tortured hero at a personal crossroads. Throw in
wedding dresses and a beach and you’re laughing.
Wedding
dress designer Rachel Banks is determined to be happy with her small
business and modest ambition. She is incensed when Mark Robison drops
into her life, poking into her dreams and personal sketches. Mark, an
international news cameraman, can’t sit by and let talent like
Rachel’s languish. He makes her question her limitations, even as he
finds himself questioning his own life choices.
Lynda Simmons followed her pattern precisely to get the Perfect Fit.
Copyright
© 1999 Janine Taylor