Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel

Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel

At this point it is hardly a secret that I'm a big fan of Carolyn Jewel. The rather surprising thing about my admiration is that Ms. Jewel writes both paranormals and historicals and I relish them both with equal enthusiasm. It never bothers me that an author writes in multiple genres, however, I often prefer one genre or "voice" over the other. That's not the case with Carolyn Jewel's books.

There is a great tag line on her website for this book that brought the whole story rushing back to me in one fell swoop.

Someone tells a lie and a young woman's life is ruined.

That's it in a nutshell. The lie is of such proportions that Sabine Godard cannot stay in England and hope to survive the social consequences of the lie. Even as her Uncle, a revered Oxford scholar, takes Sabine out of the country on the pretext of academic study, Sabine knows he's disappointed in her and that he's not quite convinced she's as innocent as she claims.

It begs the question whether it is better to be reviled or ignored? Ms. Jewel does an excellent job of drawing us into the stifled world that Sabine lives in. It appears at first that Sabine has found genuine contentment while essentially hiding behind a facade of competence, calm and acceptance. She's made peace with the idea that working for her uncle in the world of academia is her lot in life.

Of course, things cannot stay that way. Enter Edward, Marquess of Foye. Sabine has reason to stay as far from Edward as she possibly can recognizing him as one of the close friends of the man who ruined her reputation.

Scorched from a bad relationship, Edward has resolved to stay unmarried until his older brother unexpectedly dies. Left with the family title Edward must now marry. He thinks to take one last trip abroad before returning home to marry someone mature and "safe" that he can settle down with and secure the title.

The one outstanding quality of Ms. Jewel's books are her characters. There is so much detail to their personalities. It's all in the way she includes the smallest details like smells or textures that put you in that time and place. It always makes me feel like I really know her characters as people regardless of the time period or circumstance she puts them. It isn't that I haven't read a story with a similar plot as this, but I gobbled up the book simply because I wanted to spend time with these characters.

Sabine and Edward are both wounded souls. While reading I couldn't help but admire their strength, fortitude and generosity of spirit. These are two people with strong personal values who have each managed to find their own way to deal with the slings and arrows life has thrown them. While as a titled man Edward certainly has advantages that Sabine does not, I couldn't help but feel they were well matched in their strengths.

This was another good read from Carolyn Jewel. If you've enjoyed her previous historicals, INDISCREET will not disappoint. This book is scheduled for release on October 5th.

My Grade = B+