Review: Mariana

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Susanna Kearsley is becoming my go-to for light Gothic dual-time historical fiction / romance. I don't read this type of book often, but when I need something a little different from my usual fare, I find that Kearsley's books hit the spot. There's just the right mix of history, romance, mysterious ghostliness, and an ephemeral sense of times past and present.

Even though the format of Kearsley's books remain similar to each other with the time-slip discovery narrative, the situations that are explored in both time periods are still unique. The similarity is familiar and comforting enough that I'm actually hoping for it when I pick one up, but I also wouldn't recommend reading them back-to-back.

Mariana was the book that launched Kearsley's career, so it wasn't as good as the later ones I've read, but still very good for a debut novel. The time-slip aspect is almost exactly like the one in A Winter Sea, but this was not as polished or satisfying. Both time periods could have used - something - more to make them more compelling. And the present-day romance was not as good as it could have been, and not well tied into the earlier timeline.

Still, it did hit that spot with the dreamy, ghostly echoes of the past trying to make itself heard in the present.



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Review: Midnight on Julia Street

Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This is another of those books that I probably wouldn't have picked up if it hadn't been on sale - and had a lovely cover, which doesn't match the book at all. (I know I'm not supposed to judge books by their covers, but sometimes they do catch my eye and the synopsis sounds good!) But at 475 pages, I think this might be the longest contemporary romance novel I've read, and I just don't like them that much.

I know, it was also about historical preservation in New Orleans, and there were flashbacks to a previous time period - something that either works or it doesn't. Unfortunately the time-slip aspect was choppy, and it took forever for the earlier timeline to capture my interest.

On top of that, the modern reporter storyline felt exactly like a romance novel even though it was also heavily invested in a battle over some historic buildings. Sometimes I'll read this kind of romance for a change of pace, but I expect them to be quick - especially if they're in contemporary settings. This one dragged on until the last hundred pages, when I did finally get more interested in the whole preservation showdown. It just took too long to get there.



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Review: A Cottage by the Sea

A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is closer to 3.5 stars. It's a good time-slip romance / historical fiction set in Cornwall, with smugglers' caves and secret passageways in the background and a lot of drama in the foreground. There's a messy, public divorce, family conflicts, dealing with the death of loved ones, child-rearing philosophy, cultural differences between modern Americans and Brits, career upheaval, tea drinking, gardening, and crystal ball hypnosis. A strange mix of 90s psycho-babble and historical romance / tragedy.

It's also very long for this kind of story, and felt like it at times. My favorite time-slips so far are by Susanna Kearsley, and hers feel much less weighted down and less all over the place with romance novel themes. Still, I did like it even though the drama got to be a bit much at times. I do wish there was more time spent in the tunnels and caves, and by the sea, but in spite of the setting, the sea was just a backdrop, and the smuggler aspect was definitely not the focus.



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Review: The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I read the Winter Sea first, and at the beginning of this book was afraid it was going to be the same story with different people. Some aspects are indeed similar, including the Jacobite setting in the past, but Kearsley pulls it off again. I loved the mix of contemporary Cornwall and its smuggling past. The language is atmospheric and pulls you under almost immediately. And the love story is wonderful.



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