"A wonderful Gothic with a strong touch of Paganism"
LAVENDER BLUE by Sandra Heath is not so much a Regency
Romance as a true Gothic. And wow what a read! It's
totally amazing how the writer wove such an intricate tale
in so few pages. I simply could NOT put this one down. I
love history and lore, and this one is so steeped with
ancient myths of paganism, so perfectly portrayed. I am
utterly delighted to discover a writer with such love for
the ways of Auld, who depicts them without the cheap
sensationalism. Althea has always loved Jovian, the Duke of Chavanage. All
believed they would marry and Althea would be his next
Duchess. They considered them the perfect couple. But
then, suddenly, the year before the book takes up,
something distressing began to occur, shattering Althea's
hopes. The Duke was on one drunken binge after another and
never seems to stop drinking. Althea's heart is bruised by
his often- callous treatment of her. Still she is pained
and worried to hear tales about Jovian, not just about his
public drunkenness, but how he can fly over rooftops, and
summon objects to his hand by will. She would like to
dismiss these tales, but one cold January morn, she is
woke from a strange dream. She could swear Jovian was
looking into her bedroom window! From the second floor!
She rushes out into the cold winter morn and finds him. He
presents Althea with a posy of fresh Lavender, a summer
blooming flower, and warns her not to trust anyone or
believe everything she sees. Althea is puzzled; he is so
like the old Jovian she loved and loved her, does not seem
drunk at all. It warms her heart when he says he still
loves her, but when she presses for answers that make
sense, she gets riddles. Her life soon undergoes changes. At first, she receives a
missive from her father, saying he has married again. Then
later, another letter arrives and says she has a new
stepsister coming to stay with her, that her stepmother
has mysteriously died. Althea and her aunt welcome the
girl. After her arrival, they are suddenly seeing a lot of
Jovian and his new neighbor, Erebus Lethe. As events grown
more sinister, Jovian's warning back in the winter comes
to Althea's mind. Something very bizarre is circling
Althea and her stepsister, something old and ancient,
something very deadly and only Jovian can stop it. There
are layers upon layers, riddles and more riddles. Ones
steeped in knowledge of ancient lore will see some of the
mystery coming, but it still is a master crafting of
fiction and myth. For those unfamiliar with the Maid-Crone
Cycle, they will be in for a super introduction to such
lore. The pace keeps the reader hooked. This is my first book by
Heath, but NOT my last! Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted August 19, 2004
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted January 14, 2007
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