Denée Cody
Cody, Denée - GOLDEN ROSE, THE (Zebra - 1998)
(Very Highly Recommended)
Recently widowed Catherine Avery, Lady Rosmar, is trying hard to be sufficiently sorrowful as she journeys back home with her young daughter and the three retainers left to her after her husband's death. Five-year-old Nell is heiress to her father's holdings, and Catherine is determined that Nell's guardianship shall remain in her own hands—no matter what price of wardship is demanded by Henry Tudor. To her dismay, however, the first view she has of Rosmar after her long traveling includes a vaguely familiar red and gold standard, bearing an ensign of a golden rose, uncompromisingly displayed from the flag tower of her beloved home.
Andrew Mandeville had grown up at Rosmar, his family's home for over three hundred years. Rosmar had been lost fourteen years before when King Richard was killed on the battlefield of Bosworth and Henry Tudor had bequeathed the Mandeville holdings to the turncoat, William Stanley. But now both the traitor William and his brother Rupert, second of the Stanleys to hold Rosmar, were dead, and a Mandeville was once more in possession of Rosmar. Yet Henry Tudor has not given Andrew his one desire without royal strings attached. Hoping to unite the long-divided families, he has decreed that Andrew cannot retain possession of Rosmar unless he can persuade his enemy's widow to accept a Mandeville's hand in marriage.
Yes, this is another marriage-of-convenience plot line, but wait! It didn't feel to me at all contrived or artificial. I found it to be a realistic treatment of this situation, portraying two people whose responsibilities and priorities lead them into the marriage without undue melodrama or flippant treatment, for logical reasons that are easily understood and not easily dismissed. The past histories of both Andrew and Catherine are given in enough detail to support their current actions and reactions towards one another, without bogging the story down with lots of history. Cody has a nice touch with this—at times we find out more about Andrew and Catherine only when they do, making it seem as though we are there, experiencing the relationship with them. I especially liked the low-key treatment of both Andrew's traumatic incarceration and Catherine's experiences with her late, unlamented husband. Neither is used sensationally, as if this was a literary version of the Jerry Springer show. The revelations further both the plot and the romance and aren't overwrought and sensational, but portrayed with compassion and respect. No breathless cliffhangers and sudden gasps.
Considering the marriage of convenience, I was half expecting the worst of cliches. Well, they aren't in this book! Not to say that there aren't a few misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions in their relationship, but Andrew and Catherine are spared the dramatics of the typical marriage-of-convenience plot line, and as a consequence, they slowly build a relationship based on growing trust, friendship, and on things that last. If something happens, they steam for a bit, then forgive and trust again. Their choices and actions are well-reasoned and logical.
There is also an intricate subplot involving the line to the throne, which is impossible to explain here with any accuracy, at least by me. However, let me say that while the intrigue is slow to build, it is consistent in pacing, and by letting Andrew and Catherine alone for a while in the beginning, Cody creates a much more believable suspense plotline for the second half of the book which is nicely done—again, realistic and not melodramatic.
Ms. Cody's writing is smooth, appreciatively so, with a distinct voice. She doesn't hurry things along too quickly or let her plot sag in the middle. The best part of this book is how it follows through on the promise of the first few pages—the hero and heroine have a relationship that unfolds slowly and realistically. You see them learning, regrouping, learning some more. Letting go of pride, enmity, fear, and past trauma to create that something. That place every couple has—the one they create for the two of them to take shelter from the world. The one that takes trust and love to maintain. All the rest made me like this book, but this is what made me LOVE it.
I'd also like to say here that this book has a higher purpose, if you will, than just entertainment. All Denée Cody's royalties from the sale of THE GOLDEN ROSE will be donated to breast cancer research in honor of her beloved friend, who was diagnosed with (and is surviving) breast cancer while Denee was writing this book. Please, if this sounds like a book you'd enjoy, pick up a copy! Suggest it to others. Not only will you get a great read, but you'll also be helping save the world—quite a bargain, eh? ~Deborah Roy (droy@ctlnet.com)
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