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A review by georgiewhoissarahdrew
A Momentary Marriage by Candace Camp
4.0
Crisp, enjoyable HR
I've had a longish break from HR, scunnered by vapid (new word of the month) cookie-cutter plots, anachronisms and the trend towards PWP that's characterised most category HRs recently. But Caz's review put A Momentary Marriage tottering on top of the Tower of TBR, and, shivering on a late night train from Solihull, I started it.
Reader, this one's different.
From the first line - "Sir James de Vere was going home to die" - there's a pace about it that pulled me in. The stakes are high (James will die, Laura will starve), which could mean unnecessary & OTT drama, but CC keeps the tension focussed.
Partly that's down to her 3-D characterisation. James & Laura aren't TSTL, or distressingly prone to venturing downstairs in the dark armed only with volume 3 of P&P. Thankfully, they're intelligent, they talk to each other, and treat each other with respect. So-o-o refreshing to read about a measured, adult relationship. The pay-off in dramatic terms is that their emotional restraint means that when they take something seriously (James' illness), the reader does, too. I wish the writers of Second-Last-Chapter mwah-hah-hah kidnappings would realise that melodramatic posturings which out-herod Herod are a barrier to believing in the story and the characters.
The underlying plot has two strands (both interesting). Firstly, the discovery that James' illness might bethe result of a deliberate poisoning leads into a period-appropriate investigation. It's not a terribly complex mystery, and I guessed the answer quite early on, but there's a pleasure in seeing it unwind without employing farcical co-incidence or (my pet peeve) divinely-inspired gut instinct.
But if James isn't likely to die as soon as he thought, then he and Laura have to accommodate themselves to a more permanent marriage than either had anticipated. Again, I really liked the way CC has the MCs discuss what's possible, and doesn't rush them into polarised positions. Laura's one of the most sympathetic heroines I've read about for years: she's practical, not given to immature posturing, and works cheerfully to make the most of her situation. The Bible doesn't give the Marthas of this world their due, so it's good to see CC weighing in on the right side.
Thoroughly recommended.
I've had a longish break from HR, scunnered by vapid (new word of the month) cookie-cutter plots, anachronisms and the trend towards PWP that's characterised most category HRs recently. But Caz's review put A Momentary Marriage tottering on top of the Tower of TBR, and, shivering on a late night train from Solihull, I started it.
Reader, this one's different.
From the first line - "Sir James de Vere was going home to die" - there's a pace about it that pulled me in. The stakes are high (James will die, Laura will starve), which could mean unnecessary & OTT drama, but CC keeps the tension focussed.
Partly that's down to her 3-D characterisation. James & Laura aren't TSTL, or distressingly prone to venturing downstairs in the dark armed only with volume 3 of P&P. Thankfully, they're intelligent, they talk to each other, and treat each other with respect. So-o-o refreshing to read about a measured, adult relationship. The pay-off in dramatic terms is that their emotional restraint means that when they take something seriously (James' illness), the reader does, too. I wish the writers of Second-Last-Chapter mwah-hah-hah kidnappings would realise that melodramatic posturings which out-herod Herod are a barrier to believing in the story and the characters.
The underlying plot has two strands (both interesting). Firstly, the discovery that James' illness might be
But if James isn't likely to die as soon as he thought, then he and Laura have to accommodate themselves to a more permanent marriage than either had anticipated. Again, I really liked the way CC has the MCs discuss what's possible, and doesn't rush them into polarised positions. Laura's one of the most sympathetic heroines I've read about for years: she's practical, not given to immature posturing, and works cheerfully to make the most of her situation. The Bible doesn't give the Marthas of this world their due, so it's good to see CC weighing in on the right side.
Thoroughly recommended.