Stevie‘s review of Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley
Contemporary Romantic Suspense published by Sourcebooks Landmark 06 Oct 15
This is another of those novels I have trouble categorising. Technically it counts as contemporary romantic suspense, since it was written in my (adult) lifetime in a (then) contemporary setting, and features both suspenseful plotlines and a very gentle, slowly-simmering romance between the heroine and one of the men she meets in her new temporary home. On the other hand, the setting is far enough removed from the ultra-modern world for our heroine not to be saved or hindered by the presence of mobile phones, and the suspense is a lot more classically gothic than many 21st Century readers seem to expect. In contrast, I do love a well-executed gothic romance.
Plagued by nightmares in the years since the stillbirth of her son and the death of her fast-living author husband, literary agent Lyn isn’t looking forward to spending Christmas overseas with her family, but is unsure whether a trip to Wales with her most unpredictable client is a preferable alternative, particularly when she discovers they’re to be staying with her client’s current beau and won’t be far from the man her client’s picked out as the next conquest. Lyn’s decision is more or less made for her, however, when she finds out that this could be the perfect opportunity to sign a new star author in the form of the man they’ll be staying with.
Arriving in Wales, Lyn meets a host of local characters, including the playwright whom her client has been eying up, and who could be an even greater addition to her client list, as well as the fey young widow in the adjacent cottage, who is convinced that her baby is under threat and that only Lyn can protect him.
The gothic element is very much to the fore in this story, as Lyn’s nightmares take on a host of features from Welsh legend, all of which tie in with the stories she’s told about the supposed threats to the baby. Meanwhile, it seems that everyone around her is hiding something, and her bosses send her a letter making what seems to be an impossible demand with the promise of a directorship at the agency if she succeeds (yes, I loved the fact that Lyn is bothered by letters where a properly modern agent would have mobile phone demands to contend with).
This story took a while to get going, although the beauty of the prose and description meant it never dragged, but once the sinister goings-on got going, it was a thrill a minute. All in all, another excellent reissue from Susanna Kearsley, and one I really need to get hold of in print so I can reread it time and again.
Grade: A
Summary:
SOMEWHERE IN THE HEART OF LEGEND
LIES THE KEY TO HER TERRIFYING DREAMSThe charm of spending the Christmas holidays in South Wales, with its crumbling castles and ancient myths, seems the perfect distraction from the nightmares that have plagued literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw since the loss of her baby five years ago.
Instead, she meets an emotionally fragile young widow who’s convinced that Lyn’s recurring dreams have drawn her to Castle Farm for an important purpose–and she’s running out of time.
With the help of a reclusive, brooding playwright, Lyn begins to untangle the mystery and is pulled into a world of Celtic legends, dangerous prophecies, and a child destined for greatness.
Read an excerpt.
