Illusion

Rating:
Summary: Complex, layered, spell-binding story
Review: This book hardly qualifies as "simply" a romance. Rather, it is a story of spying, deception, betrayal, and renewal. The central characters, Frances and Nigel, are thrown together by Nigel's need to expose a traitor. Neither truly knows themselves - Frances was sold into an Indian harem years ago, and has learned to live only by skimming the surface and mainaining illusions; Nigel has spied for so long that he cannot untangle himself from the deceptions and illusions that have earned him his fame. Both are written with incredible complexity and layers of personality that gradually unfold as the plot unwinds. And the plot! Admittedly I was in the dark much of the time, kept guessing at the mystery and intrigue because of Ms. Ewing's diabolical way of dropping half-clues. It definitely kept my attention, to the detriment of some other things that needed to be done - I had to get to the end of the story! I like the way Ms. Ewing alternately tells it from Frances's and Nigel's points of view, without confusing the reader. This is a tale of twists and turns, interwoven with stark sensuality and murder. If you are a fan of Dorothy Dunnet's Lymond chronicles, you may really enjoy this story, and you will almost certainly be reminded of Francis Crawford as you listen to Nigel. Like Dunnett's work, this book is not always easy to read, and it begs to be re-read in order to savor the more intense passages, so it is a keeper for me. I do suggest that you not read any of the reviews for the sequel (FLOWERS UNDER ICE) until you read this one first, so you can more fully enjoy the sometimes-frustrating sense of trying to figure out who the real traitor is.

Rating:
Summary: Complex, layered, spell-binding story
Review: This book hardly qualifies as "simply" a romance. Rather, it is a story of spying, deception, betrayal, and renewal. The central characters, Frances and Nigel, are thrown together by Nigel's need to expose a traitor. Neither truly knows themselves - Frances was sold into an Indian harem years ago, and has learned to live only by skimming the surface and mainaining illusions; Nigel has spied for so long that he cannot untangle himself from the deceptions and illusions that have earned him his fame. Both are written with incredible complexity and layers of personality that gradually unfold as the plot unwinds. And the plot! Admittedly I was in the dark much of the time, kept guessing at the mystery and intrigue because of Ms. Ewing's diabolical way of dropping half-clues. It definitely kept my attention, to the detriment of some other things that needed to be done - I had to get to the end of the story! I like the way Ms. Ewing alternately tells it from Frances's and Nigel's points of view, without confusing the reader. This is a tale of twists and turns, interwoven with stark sensuality and murder. If you are a fan of Dorothy Dunnet's Lymond chronicles, you may really enjoy this story, and you will almost certainly be reminded of Francis Crawford as you listen to Nigel. Like Dunnett's work, this book is not always easy to read, and it begs to be re-read in order to savor the more intense passages, so it is a keeper for me. I do suggest that you not read any of the reviews for the sequel (FLOWERS UNDER ICE) until you read this one first, so you can more fully enjoy the sometimes-frustrating sense of trying to figure out who the real traitor is.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully complex story - took my breath away
Review: This is one of the most spellbinding, complex, deeply layered historical romances I've ever read. It's a combination of spy thriller and romance, and Ross Ewing manages to keep the reader guessing until a considerable way into the story exactly who the villains are. The hero, Nigel Arundham, Marquess of Rivaulx, is suave, sophisticated, dangerous... and tortured. Just my kind of hero!

Okay, the story. Frances Woodward, orphaned in the Far East and held captive in a harem, is a very great prize since she has been trained as a concubine, with no thought in mind but how best to serve a man. On her return to England, she became the property of Lord Donnington - a man believed by Rivaulx to be a traitor. Rivaulx intends to expose Donnington's treachery, and as part of an elaborate ruse he wins Frances from him in a card game.

But, as Frances discovers, Nigel doesn't want her for himself. Again, she is to be used as a pawn in the greater game Nigel is playing: to expose all of the traitors working against the Crown and in support of Napoleon. In any case, she quickly learns that Nigel would have no interest in her anyway; the woman he loved, the woman who had been his companion while they had both been working as spies in France, was brutally murdered and he blames himself for her death.

And then Frances has to accompany Nigel to Paris, again as part of an elaborate ruse to enable him and his associates to spy. Once there, however, Frances finds herself continually questioning what is real about Nigel and the life they're leading, and what is illusion.

What is most fascinating about the book is the way Nigel himself, truly a master of illusions, gradually becomes revealed both to Frances and the readers. And equally, how Frances herself, the virgin concubine, learns that love and lovemaking need not be activities in which women are always subordinate to men and in which women's needs are unimportant.

As well as being a terrific, spellbinding story, Ross Ewing's writing compels and made this reader gasp in admiration. Unlike some reviewers, I *liked* Nigel's love of poetry and liked the way he frequently spoke elliptically. Her style of writing is a breath of fresh air for a reader bored to tears with mediocre historical writers. I can't wait to read Flowers Under Ice, the sequel - and her newer books under the name Julia Ross. Ross/Ross Ewing is now on my must-buy list!

wmr-uk