Time to Board the Wayback Machine
https://juliegarwood.com/
Yes, it’s time to climb on board the Wayback Machine. Let’s journey back to the days when manly-men were big as trees, when horses were horses, hawks were hawks, wolves were
wolves, and heroines were so naive they could make your teeth ache. Let’s not forget the villains – ah yes, the villains. Those were the days when villains were never sent to the Island of Misplaced villains – no, not these bad guys. These bad guys got their just desserts and usually ended up in a pool of bloody gore. Yes, those were the days – the days of Julie Garwood historical books. So, journey with me now as we take a little trip back in time.After rereading one of my favorite Julie Garwood novels, The Secret, I thought why don’t I revisit some of her older stuff. And, that’s just what I did, starting with a four-book series about a group of spys/assassins/pirates/adventurers. The first book in the Crown Spies series is The Lion’s Lady written in 1988.
When I begin these reread adventures there is always one dominant thought racing through my mind - has it held up well through the years? Does it show its age? Well, interestingly enough this story, and the others in this series do show their age – but. There is a big but here. The writing in these books was still magical. They were filled with humor and numerous great characters who I fell in love with all over again. There was never a moment while rereading these books that I ever asked myself, “what did I ever see in these stories?” I never once had a “Kathleen-Woodiwiss-groan-moment.” Did I notice a pattern in Garwood’s writing while I was rereading? Yes, but I was able to overlook that because I was enjoying the stories so much.
The heroes in all of these stories are bigger than life, and they all have the requisite giant thighs. They are strong, dominating men. If you like alpha males, these guys are for you. In Ms. Garwood’s book, you can depend on the heroes to fall in love/lust as soon as they spot the heroine. Ownership sets in. They will have her. She belongs to them. They all refer to her as “mine.” The heroines on the other hand are mostly innocent. When I say innocent, I don’t necessarily mean they’ve never bounced around in the bedroom – although they haven’t. No, Garwood’s heroines have a naïve way of seeing the world. It can be charming, almost Disney-like, but with an underlying steel. That underlying steel allows them to stand up to the alpha male in these stories. Even though these stories were written in the era when pot-boiler-bodice-rippers were still around, none of these stories have that feel.
In The Lion’s Lady we have our hero, Michael, the Marquis of Lyonwood. He’s a spy/assassin/whatever. Into his life wanders Christina Bennett, our heroine. Christina has a silly-let’s-stretch-the-imagination background. She’s a princess on the run. I hatesssssss princesses. Once upon a time her mother, Jessica, was married to an E-v-i-l man, a very E-v-i-l prince/dictator. He tried to kill Jessica. Jessica ran away. She runs all the way to America to escape him, along with her diary. In a rather convoluted plot-line she discovers she’s pregnant by her evil husband. But her problems don’t end there. She is then taken captive by a Native American tribe. Also, among the prisoners is a Dakota woman by the name of Merry – yes Merry. Merry and Jessica escape this tribe and journey together back to Merry’s people. Along the way they become friends, she gives birth, then dies, leaving her daughter Christina in Merry’s hands. Merry takes Christina back to the Black Hills of South Dakota to live among her people, the Dakotas. Eventually Merry’s husband accepts Christina and they raise her as one of their own. Christina is told by a shaman that her destiny is a lion, and she herself is a lioness. Years pass, Christina reads her mother’s diary and knows that she must return home to claim her birth-right before she turns nineteen. She must also avenge her mother. She starts out in Boston, finds another unpleasant relative, her evil aunt, and practices being a white princess. She and her evil/crazy aunt return to England seeking revenge against her father, getting her inheritance, and fulfilling her destiny. Her destiny arrives in the form of Michael, the Marquess of Lyonwood, aka Lyon.
All the tension in this story is created by outside forces. Oh sure, Christina carries a knife strapped to her thigh, walks around barefoot, talks to animals, and yells at Lyon. But Lyon and Christina never once doubt that they were meant to be together. Even though Christina keeps her background a secret from Lyon, it isn’t really a problem in this story. Ms. Garwood has a light touch when it comes to misunderstandings, secrets, and lies revolving around our couple.
I have to say that even though I thought the Dakota part of this story was written a bit simplistically, and with a bit of wide-eyed innocence that probably wouldn’t be acceptable today – this was a pleasant romance. Lyon and Christina made a great couple and, the secondary characters were fully developed. At this time in her career Ms. Garwood was still finding her footing, but this book is a treasure and I do recommend it.
Time/Place: Regency England/Black Hills
Sensuality:Warm/Hot
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