Review: Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
2009 Allison & Busby Limited (originally published 1994 by Corgi Books)
ISBN:978-0-7490-0706-5
Softcover Edition
395 pages
Genre: Fiction/Romance

4/5 Stars

Summary (Press Release)
The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her house. Now, twenty-five years late, by some strange chance, she has just become the new owner of the sixteenth-century Wilshire farmshouse. But Julia soon begins to suspect that more than coincidence has brought her there. As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself abruptly transported back in time. Stepping into seventeenth-century England, Julia becomes Mariana, a beautiful young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love for Richard de Mornay, handsome forbear of the present squire of Crofton Hall. Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past, falling ever deeper in love with Richard...until one day she realizes Mariana's life threatens to eclipse her own - and that she must find a way to lay the past to rest, or risk losing a chance for love in her own time.

My Thoughts
Time-travelling books with a spice of romance and treachery are books that I truly enjoy. There are some books that tend to grab you right from the beginning and don't let you go until the very end, and this was one of those books for me. I found the storyline truly engaging, the characters were quirky and interesting, and the hint of scandal and treachery was fascinating.

All of the elements were present in this novel. You had the sixteenth century house, the hint of a ghost or two, missing relatives and documents from an old family, hints of treachery from the past, elements of reincarnation, and lost souls trying to find each other over the years. If you throw in an evil relative or two, hints of treachery, and unhappy young lovers, you have everything you need to set you up for a good old soppy love story/suspense/mystery/ghost story with a time travelling element thrown in.

What I really liked about the book is how seamlessly the time-travel element was sewn into the novel. It seemed to flow from past to present with an ease that made the storyline very easy to follow and didn't disrupt it at all. The author was very good at making us see how Mariana's life was slowly taking over Julia's present life and how easily we can lose ourselves in the temptation to live in the past. It took a lot of courage for Julia to resolve Mariana's fate and get on with her present-day life as she actually lived Mariana's life as Mariana and go to know and love the people who were alive in Mariana's time period.

Another thing I liked about this novel was the twist at the end. While some of the events were bittersweet in Mariana's time, I was really happy at the way things turned out in the end. It was a little sappy, but then I can be somewhat sappy myself at times so this really satisfied me. I wanted things to end satisfactorily this time and they did.

Verdict
If you're in the mood for an engaging story that spans centuries, with some interesting characters and plot twists, a light romance, than you will truly enjoy this book.

Book Review: Improper Relations by Janet Mullany

Improper Relations

by Janet Mullany

Released February 18, 2010

Publisher: Little Black Dress

ISBN: 978-075347803

Genre: Historical Romance

4/5 Stars

Summary (Press Release)
Compromising liaisons, crossed wires and conflicting loyalties - It's another gem from Regency star Janet Mullany. After losing best friend and distant cousin Ann Weller in marriage to the Earl of Beresford, sharp-witted Charlotte Hayden feels inclined to be even ruder than usual to potential suitors. But after a compromising liaison with Beresford's wicked, wayward cousin, Shad, she's suddenly propelled into a reluctant marriage, and finds herself missing Ann more than ever. But when Ann returns from her honeymoon, she drops a bombshell - not only is she not sure she loves Beresford, she's also had a child out of wedlock, and is planning to betray her husband with her former lover. Charlotte's realisation that she's falling in love with Shad only serves to make her dilmema even worse: should she keep Ann's secret, or tell her husband the truth?

My Thoughts

The first few lines of the novel caught my attention immediately: "My story begins with a wedding. Not, I hasten to add, mine. I have been assured from reliable sources that certain farmyard creatures would sprout wings and fly were I to receive a proposal." I found these lines intriguing and right from the beginning, I knew I was going to like the heroine of this novel, Charlotte Hayden.

Ann, a vicar's daughter, came to live with Charlotte's family after she inherited a large sum of money upon the death of a dreadful, old cousin, for whom she had been a housekeeper. After being introduced to society, she committed the sin of meeting the Earl of Beresford and falling in love before Charlotte was able to make a match of her own. Despite all this, Charlotte and Ann remain strong friends and Charlotte is the maid-of-honour at Ann's wedding. At Ann's wedding, she meets the Earl's good friend, Jonathan Trelaise, Viscount Shadderly, the 'wicked' cousin, and feels an immediate attraction.

While at a ball several days later, Charlotte and Shad are caught in an embarrassing situation, and the gossips are alive with the news. Shad does the honourable thing and proposes to Charlotte as it is the only way to save both of their reputations. Even after he proposes, Shad can't imagine why he was so impulsive and worried about Charlotte's reputation, but it seems he couldn't stop thinking about her and her lips, despite her sharp tongue and her lack of interest in following societal norms.

During the ensuing courtship and wedding, Shad mistakingly thinks Charlotte's in love with Ann's husband Lord Beresford, and feels sudden jealousy. And when Ann comes home from her honeymoon and confesses a shocking secret to Charlotte, which she hides from Shad, he becomes even more suspicious, and suspects she is making assignations to meet Beresford when he is busy elsewhere. I do not want to give anything away here, but the ensuing situations provide a lot of grief to all parties involved until everything is resolved satisfactorily in the end.

Result

The text is fun and flirty and makes you feel good when you read it. It isn't your typical romance novel with the bodice-ripping love scenes, but full of flirtations and many innuendos. Ms. Mullany entertains with dry wit, and brilliantly funny escapades that made me laugh, and feel sheepish for the characters caught in the situations. It was about parties, clothes, shopping, and gossip. There was a darker side too; there were those moments about those who don't follow societal norms, and the poor, and what can happen if they are not taken care of, or if they don't have families who can help them. They were just glimpses, but given in such a way, it made you pause and think, and know that not everything is perfect.

The developing relationship between Charlotte and Shay and the contrasting relationship between Ann and Beresford is brilliantly done. While I admired Charlotte's loyalty to her friend, there were times when I wanted to shake her to make her see that Ann often thought about herself above all others. This often got Charlotte into trouble with Shad and could have prevented a lot of problems. That being said, Improper Relations was enjoyable, pure fun, and I enjoyed every minute of this book, a novel written with emotion and sensitivity. I am looking forward to Ms. Mullany's next book.