Rich In History

At one time, I loved to read sagas and complex historical fiction. Unfortunately, I now find it hard to lose myself in long, dense historical reads these days. It's hard to really be immersed in another time and place, when there's always a voice in the back of my head saying "you have a report due, you should be working!" or "the rent is due next week and you haven't balanced your checkbook!" or "the kitchen is a mess and you need to clean it up before work tomorrow!". I guess that's why I prefer the more direct, get-to-the-point emotions of romance these days. I sometimes feel nostalgic for the days when I could lose myself in colonial India for 1500 pages and never worry about anything except how long summer vacation would last...

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll
(2005, Renaissance) 6/18/07
Grade: 4

Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, is renowned for her magical talents, which she uses for good. But when Justice, the compte de Renard, wants to marry her, she is skeptical of his motives. She vows never to use the magical ring that binds them. but as she is drawn into the court intrigue of Catherine de Medici, she must depend on Renard’s strenth, and his love.

Set in France in 1572, this book skillfully blends historical fact and fiction (including witchcraft) to create a dark and intriguing story that is heavier on history than it is on romance. The author creates a world that always feels real, and is rich in historical detail. The relationship between Ariane and Justice is intriguing at first, but as the book continues, it takes a back seat to the historical intrigue and the relationship between Ariane and her sisters (who are set up for future books). The book is also a bit over-long, at least from my perspective, and I got a bit bogged down in the middle section. However, these are fairly minor problems, and I found it a rich and rewarding read overall.

I also regretfully sent a couple of recent and noteable books to the trade pile over the last couple of days - Games of Pleasure by Julia Ross (which had an intriguing storyline, but the characters seemed more like cardboard cutouts than real people) and Scandalous Lovers by Robin Schone (another intriguing storyline, but it felt more like a lecture on Victorian sexual attitudes than a book about real characters). I tossed both of them after reading about 100 pages, much to my disappointment.