The Flame
Jane ToombsHistorical romance
Available from Amber Quill Press
ISBN: 978-1-60272-407-5
November 2008
| Mary Vere has little going for her except a dream and life as a servant in a household where the men don‘t seem able to take no for an answer. Philippe Manigault is a sweet talking man who gambles his way through life. He bets his partner, Jeremy Johnston, that he can turn her into a lady. The plan goes awry and the three flee for their lives to California. Jeremy is the man Mary is attracted to but she finds he's got a fiancée waiting for him. Mary and Jeremy continue to cross paths as Philippe searches for that ultimate win or scheme that can set him up for life. In Virginia City he runs up against a man who's a better con that he is and Mary is left to fend for herself in a city where everyone believes she's a murderer.
Jane Toombs does a wonderful job crafting the characters in this well done historical. She even includes a brief acquaintance between Mary and Mark Twain when he edited the local newspaper. Most of the men in this tale only seem to reinforce the reason why women fought for their rights not long after this takes place! Even Philippe, who she depended on, used her for his own gain and wasn't above bending the truth whenever it suited him. Mary, or Monique, as she becomes for a while, proves to be one of those heroines the reader can't help but admire. While the men in her world seem willing to do anything to get what they want, she chooses the honorable way to do things, no matter how difficult. Ms. Toombs has written another tale that's full of history and people who often act in ways that may be unexpected. She always manages to keep a unique twist in the dialogue and behavior of her characters that keep her books fresh. This is an action-filled novel that gives us an inside view of the life of a woman who refuses to be beaten by circumstances.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Dee Dailey |
