Pink Heart Reviews
Castle Keeper
Submitted by Teresa – May 2008
Private Arrangements
Sherry Thomas
Bantam Books, April 2008, 351 pages
ISBN-10: 0440244315
ISBN# 978-0440244318
England 1882-1893
$6.99 (US) $9.99 (CDN)
There is a wealth of fantastic romances being published today that deserve recognition. Every so often, one will come along that is so refreshing, it towers above all others.
As we read, we are taken back and forth, from past to present. A youthful Gigi is very intelligent and just as cynical. Marriage is a business venture to her, until she meets Camden, and sets out to marry him with a single-minded ruthlessness that has far reaching repercussions.
Camden is a woman's dream. Caring, loyal, hard working and brilliant. Honor prevents him from acting on his desire for the seductive Gigi. When it appears that he can have Gigi and a chance at happiness, he discovers an act of betrayal that crushes that chance and the two lead separate lives from then on.
Ten years later, and Gigi is petitioning for divorce. She would like to marry again, and try to find the contentment that eluded her during her marriage to Camden. However, she is not expecting Camden to reenter her life, nor the surge of tumultuous feelings his presence provokes.
Almost as soon as they are reunited, the old sparks start igniting and the love they've tried to suppress reemerges stronger than before. They are both older and wiser, and soon realize that the happiness that could have been, is once again within their reach.
The protagonists will engender in you a wealth of emotions. The wonderful thing about Camden and Gigi is that they are so realistically portrayed. Both of them are responsible for their marriage going horribly wrong, and both of them play a part in setting it right. I was rooting for them, even though I knew that eventually they would have their happily ever after. If that isn't enough, there is also a secondary romance that is charming and heart-warmingly fun.
I know we're only four months into 2008, but I can say with some certainty that Private Arrangements is the best romance of the year. The prose is lyrical and absolutely sublime. I savored every word I read. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the heart. Sherri Thomas has made me fall in love with historical romance again. Every avid reader of historical romance must read Private Arrangements. An elegant, sexy, and very adult romance that will have you eagerly anticipating future works from a spectacular new voice in the genre. Bravo Ms. Thomas, I am looking forward to (your next novel) Delicious, with relish!
