Five Stars for On Silent Wings
By M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - 
See all my reviews
Set during the reign of Charles II, April 1667, the king has sent the mute daughter of a traitor to the crown to the disillusioned Alexander Fletcher, Lord Drayton who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Alex loved his wife who soon grew to hate him so much, she took her own life and he would not take the chance of ever being that vulnerable again.
Lady Katherine Seymour the once envied, pursued, and betrothed young woman had lost her father, her fiance, her voice, and all worldly goods in the great London fire. Lord Drayton, seemingly indifferent to her plight, only adds to the anguish of losing so much. But in a fit of passion Alex's burning kiss ignites a fire he refuses to acknowledge even as he attempts to marry her off to a noble Katherine adamantly refuses to accept. As Katherine and Alex square off in a sensual battle of wills his neighbor, Agnes Cooke, recognizes another rival to her quest to become the next Lady Drayton and is not about to let another gain the prize she secretly covets.
Author Pamela Roller did a very fine job with this beautifully detailed and sensual love story in which I was captivated from start to finish. Both leads were extremely well-drawn with Katherine showing an amazing perseverance over the hard knocks that life has thrown her way. The author did a remarkable job of showing how frustrated Katherine was with Lord Drayton's edicts. Not being able to give voice to the way she would have liked to tell him off, the author used vivid imagery describing Katherine's facial expressions as well as how the scratch of her chalk against her slate board drove him nuts. In the same way, the reader is able to see a slow melt-down of Alex's harsh reserve and high handed edicts when the harder he tries to push Katherine into marriage to another, the more he realizes he wants to see her in no one's bed but his own.
The behind-the-scenes mechanisms of Lord Drayton's neighbor, combined with unpleasant revelations by the king and his spiteful mistress, Lady Castlemaine, do a good job of destroying all the trust and respect he and Katherine had gained. With malice and some ingenious twists and turns, I never saw coming, turned this into an edge of the seat finale that kept this reader glued to the pages. Fans of historical romance who like a shades of gothic thrown in will surely find this to their taste.
Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization
From THE ROMANCE STUDIO:
Reviewer: Sandra June 25, 2007
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual
"Pamela Roller has penned an excellent story. It takes hold of the reader with page one and keeps them anxiously turning the pages. It is so well written, with lovable, emotionally scarred characters, looking to be saved, suspense and heartache. I felt Alex and Katherine’s pain, their happiness and their growing love for one another, in this suspenseful heartwarming tale. Anyone looking for a great read, this is it."
A restoration-era romance about a mute lady and emotionless man, 22 Aug 2007
By |
Auntie Helen (Kent, England) |
- The rather gloomy photograph on the front of this book (a castle-like building with a dark background and sultry sky) and the unfortunate misprint on the back cover (where a dash '-' has become '?' through some computer malfunction) aren't too promising. However as soon as you start reading the book, as Katherine Seymour arrives at the home of her new guardian, a castle-like building, you're drawn into the story of Katherine and Alexander Fletcher, Lord Drayton. Katherine is herself perhaps only ? of a young woman because she's lost her voice after the great fire of London and has also become afraid of confined spaces. People think she's not got all her wits because of her lack of voice and she has to deal with the misunderstanding of those about her.
Alex is a suitably wounded hero. His wife jumped out of a window after her fourth miscarriage and madness and he has vowed, as so many men in this kind of story vow, never to love again. He treats Katherine in an abrupt and unfriendly manner, resolving to get her married off as soon as possible. However his plans don't allow for her to have a say in her future and yet the more he gets to know her the more he realises she has her own mind and despite her inability to talk she can make her wishes known.
Alex's neighbours, the Cooke family, appear periodically in this novel and they're rather generic characters (overbearing father, weak son who can't pluck up the courage to court Elizabeth, Alex's cousin, who lives with him, and evil daughter Agnes). Agnes is quite clearly the 'baddie' in this story and her actions were no surprise to this reader, nor was the gradual unveiling of her roles in various disasters that have befallen Alex and Katherine. I was rather amazed that Agnes wasn't punished for some of her actions when they come to light - it served to show the huge difference in life for people in restoration times.
King Charles and the Earl of Rochester are mentioned in this story and we meet both of them in its pages. The intrigue and machinations of court are part of the plot as Katherine finds herself an unwilling pawn in a game of Charles's mistress and as various secrets are unveiled. The romance between hero and heroine seems to begin due to proximity but then as they find they can communicate, despite Katherine's lack of voice, there is more depth. However I found the vacillations of both characters a bit annoying, albeit probably realistic.
The story aims for Katherine to regain her voice and Alex to recover his emotions; however there is more to be unveiled, such as Katherine's father's treachery, the story behind Alex's first wife's death and even behind Alex's parents' murders. This book was always easy to read and the dialogue was very well written, although with a few modern Americanisms slipped in. Alex is an appealing character, particularly in his rather more 'modern' approach to controlling unruly females that doesn't rely on beatings, although he can be very wounding with words. Katherine is feisty and yet quiet, opinionated and yet mute, although she seems remarkably dense about Agnes's plotting. For those who enjoy historical romances set in England in the restoration period this is a very good offering and something to be enjoyed on a lazy day.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007.