The Souvenir Countess
Grade : C+

The Souvenir Countess is half a great book. In this case, the great half is the first half. It's been awhile since I was excited by a debut author, so I got really excited during the first half of this book, only to be quite disappointed as it abruptly dwindled into mediocrity.

The book begins in France, during the French Revolution. Alexandre "Alix" de la Brou hides in a secret room and hears a mob storm her home and kill her father (who'd stubbornly refused to hide with her). Fleeing into the night with the help of her trusted maid, she escapes to Paris and searches for her mother. She's unaccustomed to the dangers of the city, and finds herself on the verge of being raped when she is rescued by a mysterious English stranger.

Captain Rafe Harcrest, Earl of Moreham, is in France overseeing some business interests. He doesn't like others to know that he's in trade, so he lets polite society believe he consorts with loose women during his frequent trips to France. Then he comes upon Alix, and suddenly sex really is all he can think about. He quickly determines that she needs help, and vows to locate her mother. Rafe, Alix, and Jervis (Rafe's trusted valet) discover that Alix's mother has fled to London where she is residing with a friend. They prepare to make the journey, but all the while they worry about the volatile political atmosphere. At any moment Alix could be discovered and denounced as an aristocrat. Meanwhile, a former servant is hunting for Alix, seeking titles to her family estates. He'll stoop at nothing - and even cross the channel - in order to seize the titles and claim the estate for his own.

Almost as soon as Rafe discovers Alix's true identity, he knows he must marry her. He'd been practically engaged to someone else, but his cold feet drove him to take the trip across the channel in the first place, and he finds himself strangely enchanted with the idea of marrying Alix. Alix is considerably less sanguine. She likes Rafe and is very attracted to him, but her life has been changing so fast that she feels as if she has no control, and she's reluctant to make such a permanent decision. She agrees to marry Rafe, but only if they leave the door open for a possible annulment. You can probably guess how that goes. The two consummate their marriage on the journey to England, and when they arrive they must deal with the consequences.

The consequences involve an annoying separation and a prolonged courtship period, and this is where the book takes a real nose dive. Almost from the minute the boat docks, the life slowly drains out of the story. It isn't that the plot is terrible or the characters are suddenly unlikable; it's simply that they no longer have anything interesting to do, and the elaborate constructs that the author comes up with to keep the couple from a more immediate HEA are both artificial and irritating. The most important conflicts are over, and the silly misunderstandings and posturing that replace them are just no substitute.

What makes this so disappointing is that the portion of the book set in France is tremendous fun. The very real danger and intrigue are a breath of fresh air, and the attraction between Alix and Rafe is palpable. Alix is gritty and determined, but not stupidly spunky, and Rafe is arrogant and full of himself in a good way. It makes for great dialogue and sexual tension - at least until they get to England.

After they arrive on English shores there are a few more problems as well. Rafe's other woman/almost fiancé is a flat-out viper, and his naiveté where she's concerned is grating. As part of her scheming, she launches a plot against Rafe's sister that remains unresolved at book's end. Presumably, the author is setting us up for a sequel, but it was tough to be left hanging that way. On the plus side, Rafe has an interesting best friend who met his wife in the colonies several years before. The couple lends the book some maturity and class, and their backstory seems so well thought out that I was surprised that it hadn't been published. Perhaps the author has it waiting in the wings.

At any rate, the first half of this book is so fun that I can almost recommend the book in its entirety. Almost, but not quite. Here's hoping that future efforts from Ms. Novins will be a little less uneven.

Reviewed by Blythe Smith
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : January 30, 2004

Publication Date: 2004

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Blythe Smith

I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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