Review by Erin Valentine
The Resurrection of Lady Somerset by Nicola
Beaumont is a historical romance that would make Charles Dickens proud. The author has fun with all of the elements
that Dickens used so well, including a large rambling house inhabited by a mysterious woman, a young man torn between his
own desires and the rigid guidelines of his class, and a mysterious fire that may or may not have been purposefully set.
When the novel opens, Jonathan Rexley, Lord Somerset, has returned home after
his father's death to find that, despite a twelve-year absence, he has inherited the family manse. His brother Cyril
is a gadabout who prefers play over work; therefore, Jonathan is obviously the best person to care for the ancestral home.
Unfortunately for Jonathan, his father's will has a stipulation. Jonathan
must marry Lark Blackwell, a lovely young woman who has been living on the estate for twelve years, hidden from everyone but
the servants and Jonathan's father. If the marriage doesn't happen, Cyril will inherit the estate and all its holdings.
The new Lord Somerset has no choice but to comply, and he is quickly appalled
to find that not only will he be forced to wed a stranger; she is also mute, incapable of conversing with anyone but her maid,
who uses French Sign Language (FSL) with her young charge.
There is an immediate attraction between the two young people, but Jonathan
is beset with worries over the arrangement. For one, why has his father hidden Lark away for over a decade? There
is some concern that Lark may be his half-sister, so surely his father understood the darkly twisted nature of such a codicil
in the will. How could his father risk the family legacy if Jonathan had found himself unable or unwilling to marry?
And finally, how is the fiery death of Lark's parents and Jonathan's mother related to the untenable position in which he
finds himself?
I truly enjoyed reading this book.
The language is obviously carefully researched and lends verisimilitude to the tale. Characters are richly defined and
complex, and best of all, they behave the way people did behave for their time. I have to admit that a pet peeve for
me is authors who write historical novels in which the characters behave like twenty-first century people. That's not
the case here. The story is told from two points of view, both Jonathan's and Lark's, and their voice is authentic to
their time. People who enjoy historical romance with a smattering of suspense will have a great time with The
Resurrection of Lady of Somerset.
Questions for author:
Have you always been drawn to writing in the historical genre?
For a long time, I wouldn’t even read an historical, but once I did,
I was hooked. The next logical step was to write one.
How involved is your research for a novel such as this one?
Research is essential when writing historical novels. If the text doesn’t
ring true, readers will notice. I tried to discover everything I could about the regency period—and, of course, about
the development of sign language.
What inspired you to create a heroine who is mute?
Well, that’s a funny story. I noticed a flaw in my early attempts at
novel-writing: While all my heroine’s were unique, they all still seemed to have my “mouth.” I needed to
find a way to ensure my heroines didn’t sound like me at all—they had to be their own persons. So, making my heroine
mute was an exercise in removing my mouth. Lark couldn’t sound like me, because her mouth was mute. I recommend this
type of exercise to any aspiring writer who finds himself or herself in a similar situation. If there’s a flaw that
is repeatedly committed—remove the ability to recreate it. It broke me of the habit, and I never had a problem again.
What would you like to accomplish with your writing?
I write fiction solely for entertainment purposes, so hopefully, readers will
just enjoy a few hours away from the daily grind of life.
Do you write non-fiction as well as fiction?
I do write non-fiction as well as fiction. I’m currently collaborating
with best-selling author, Linda Lea Castle, to create an updated version of our previous release, The Lightning-fast Lexicon
of Period Lingo, but most of my non-fiction leans towards Christian spirituality and apologetics.
As an added bonus, a copy of The Resurrection of Lady Somerset is
to be raffled off to a reader. Enter by signing the guestbook below. To view other comments you just need to click on
the View Guestbook tab.
The drawing will be held the first week in January - I am going to switch
from weekly drawings to monthly drawings to give people plenty of time to comment. The winner will be announced
here under Raffle Winners, and on the discussion group at Shelfari.
If you run into technical trouble, or have additional questions, please
don't hesitate to contact me at T. Gleichner at uponfurtherreview@gmail.com
