Judith O'Brien - Linda O'Brien
O'Brien, Judith - MAIDEN VOYAGE (Pocket - 1997) (4)
A fine contemporary romance with paranormal elements. This book captured the real Ireland for me—not just the treacly caricature one often sees in romances. Ms. O'Brien also included some very funny touches, especially at the onset (the cabbage factory, for example). The romance did not dominate the plot, but seemed very real and natural, and the hero was quite pleasant. ~Elena P.
O'Brien, Judith - ONE PERFECT KNIGHT (Pocket - 1998) (5)
The regular evening rush-hour riders of the New York subway system consider Julie Gaffney to be a bit of a freak because she always seems upbeat as she travels from her accounting job at a Madison Avenue advertising firm to her Chelsea apartment. In truth, Julie hates her mundane life and dreams of being part of Camelot. However, when Julie gets home, reality returns in the form of her answering machine, which contains typical messages. . .with one small exception. A man with an English accent speaks lower than a whisper, asking her for help.
Everything changes for Julie when she goes to dinner at a Medieval-theme restaurant in New Jersey. When she hears the same "help me" voice, Julie is more than stunned. She has somehow been propelled back to the real Camelot, where she quickly becomes squire to Lancelot. She decides to woo the great knight for herself, and in the process, abort the great betrayal. As the pair travel back and forth in time, they fall in love with each other. However, if this couple is to make it as an entry, which century do they belong to and how do they deal with the fact that whatever they do, they are ultimately changing the course of history forever?
ONE PERFECT KNIGHT is a perfect rendering of the Camelot legend. The refreshing story line, using time travel elements, does justice to all the previous books written about the Knights of the Round Table. Julie and Lancelot are a top-rate pair, whose troubles in both centuries are explored in exciting but great depth. Judith O'Brien adds to one of literature's great legends with her classy latest novel. ~Harriet Klausner
O'Brien, Linda - PROMISED TO A STRANGER (Avon - 1998) (3+)
On the run after witnessing a murder...and realizing that her own life is in danger, Madeline Anne Beecher catches the first train headed west. She becomes friends with Amelia Baker, a young woman traveling to Indiana to finally meet artist Jeremy Knight, who proposed marriage in one of many letters they exchanged. When the train crashes, killing Amelia and most of the passengers, Maddie assumes her friend's identity in order to hide from the killer.
Her plan to continue the ruse and marry Jeremy is put to the test, however, after she meets the two Knight brothers. Whereas gentle-natured Amelia was the perfect match for a shy, sensitive artist like Jeremy, spirited Maddie is immediately attracted to the he-man older brother instead. When Jeremy closets himself up in his room for days in order to paint, Blaine steps in and makes sure his brother's fiancée isn't neglected. Underneath the ex-Army officer's tough veneer is a thoughtful, caring man, who sees to all of Maddie's needs as he teaches her about life on the farm. He soon finds himself totally smitten, of course; while Maddie realizes she is enjoying his company far too much. The sexual tension builds, but they both fight their feelings for each other because they can not betray dear Jeremy. Our hero is a perceptive man, however, and Maddie's story...and her actions just don't add up.
How long will Maddie be able to carry on this deception and evade the killer? The conflict between the protagonists kept me reading, even though all the lies and misunderstandings became a bit tiresome by the story's end and the love scenes lacked the fiery passion that so much pent-up frustration and sexual teasing seemed to demand. Aside from that, I found PROMISED TO A STRANGER to be an enjoyable romance, filled with adventure, spirit and warm wit. The setting provided a refreshing change (very few historical romances are set in Indiana), and Blaine certainly had all the makings of the perfect hero. ~June Folk for Bookbug on the Web
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