NOTORIOUS

Author: Virginia Henley ISBN: 0451221052 5/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: NAL/SIGNET ECLIPSE
Time Period: England 1322

The daughter of Jory de Beauchamp and friend to Queen Isabelle, spirited and stunningly beautiful Brianna de Beauchamp is betrothed to distinguished Lincoln Robert de Warenne, but she yearns for a deeper passion than she's yet experienced. When Brianna meets dark and dangerous Wolf Mortimer—a man who possesses the Celtic gift of second sight—she finds it impossible not to surrender her body to his fierce desire. And when Wolf's father—the queen's lover, Roger Mortimer—is imprisoned in the Tower of London, Brianna is swept on an adventure that not only puts her heart in peril, but jeopardizes the life of the man who could be her destiny....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I am a huge Henley fan, and I have been one for many years. There are few authors that can combine true historical facts within a magnificent love story as Henley can. But to my great disappointment, the Henley magic was missing in NOTORIOUS.

Rather than reading of romance and intrigue within the backdrop of real historical events, NOTORIOUS seemed more like a history lesson. And a history lesson that dragged on far too long, with little excitement. The main characters—Brianna de Beauchamp, a spirited young beauty, and the dark and dangerous Wolf Mortimer—certainly have what it takes for a delicious romance. But the two barely see one another to develop this romance. NOTORIOUS has 400 pages, and Jory and Wolf do not share their first kiss until page 347! With so little contact between the two, it is hard for the reader to care for them as a couple. There is more written about the romance between the secondary characters, Queen Isabelle and her lover, Roger Mortimer, and even between King Edward and his lover, Hugh Despencer.

I must suggest that if you are in the mood for a topnotch Henley tale, with the perfect balance between fact and fiction, romance and history, choose any one of her past novels, including her classics THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL, THE HAWK AND THE DOVE, or THE RAVEN AND THE ROSE. All keepers, and all worth a second, or third reading!

Deana Monteleone