TEST
After reading a string of mediocre books, it was a great relief to read Pale Moon Rider. Marsha Canham has written a real winner here, with believable characters – not an evil sister in sight – and lots of suspense. Also, while it deals with dark subjects, like the French Revolution, it isn’t a downer.
Tyrone Hart is a highwayman known as Captain Starlight. Renèe d’Anton, a refugee from France, tries to hire him. Though he doesn’t trust her, Tyrone agrees to help her. As it turns out, Tyrone was right to be suspicious. Renèe is being forced to cooperate with Colonel Roth, the sadistic officer obsessed with bringing Starlight to justice. If she doesn’t help capture Starlight, Roth will see to it that her young brother is tried for attempted murder.
Tyrone quickly finds out that Renèe is working with Roth. When he appears in her room, she shocks him by being honest about her involvement with Roth. She also surprises him by telling him she is trying to get out of her engagement to the coarse Edgar Vincent. Despite the danger, Tyrone agrees to meet with her in three days, as planned.
On the day of the planned rendezvous, Renèe decides to escape, but is thwarted by an unexpected visit by Roth and his henchmen. Renèe can’t get away now; the rendezvous must go on, no matter the risk. The plot which follows is full of twists and turns. One of the greatest twists is the revelation of Tyrone’s other identity. The reader discovers that Tyrone is nothing if not audacious.
The well-drawn hero and heroine set this book apart from the crowd. Renèe saw most of her family killed during the Reign of Terror, but England wasn’t the great sanctuary she had hoped for. If it weren’t for her brother, she might have given up. She faces her trials with courage and intelligence. It was a little surprising, however, that she couldn’t figure out some of the plot twists for herself. As befits a highwayman, Tyrone is an enigma. He is intelligent and learned, yet he is a criminal – one who is far more honorable than the men trying to hunt him down. He takes great risks because he no longer truly cares about survival. Because of his dangerous lifestyle, Tyrone has avoided intimate relationships, until now.
The secondary characters were also strong. Readers will fall in love with Renèe’s brother, Antoine. He became mute when he saw his mother beaten to death in Paris, he suffered from nightmares, yet he managed to display wit. Unlike siblings in mediocre romances, Antoine added to the plot. The villains were creepy yet believable. Colonel Roth and Edgar Vincent were tied to each other by greed. They also had good reason to want Tyrone dead. Roth was the most villainous of the characters. Though the reader will learn about Roth’s sadism, the worst elements, luckily, occur offstage.
This is the kind of plot where you expect Big Misunderstanding cliches to be rampant, but Marsha Canham deftly avoids that trap. After being shot, Tyrone does think Renèe betrayed him, but once he regains consciousness, he actually apologizes!
I had one musical nit-pick. Tyrone plays a piece by Chopin, which is audacious even for him. This book takes place in 1796, and Chopin wasn’t born until 1810. It was startling to find such an inaccuracy in a book that was otherwise well researched.
Readers who love romantic adventure set against history will enjoy this book. Readers who want a light read will want to look elsewhere, as will readers who shy away from violence. As for myself, I’m planning to lend this one to my mother.
Grade: A-
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 29/12/98
Publication Date: 1999
I buy too many books, too many weird heavy metal albums, and too many pulp novel reprints.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.