Xenia Navarre Historical Romance

In this AMAZING romantic suspense set in modern-day Denver, librarian-turned-Russian-Mafia-party-girl Cody Stark isn’t really an international arms smuggler. But the entire U.S. government seems to think so, and a dozen of the world’s baddest terrorists are on her tail, seeking the stolen nuke whose remote location in Tajikistan only she knows. Street-kid-turned-special-forces-operative Creed Rivera has orders to find the loose nuke, and bring Cody down. When he rescues her from the terrorists who are closing in fast, Creed suspects there’s more to Cody’s story than the CIA believes, and the sizzling attraction between the two only complicates the crisis.

This story was FABULOUS, romantic suspense to die for. Right now I’m reading 2-3 novels per week in the genre (as research for my own current project), and this one stands head and shoulders above the crowd. It’s unputdownable, sexy, smart, dangerous, and super fast paced. (More than 300 pages of the story take place in a single night, which is pretty tough pacing for a writer to pull off! Kind of like the “24″ of novels.) Adding depth to the romance, both the hero and heroine crave redemption, and their only hope of finding it is each other. Now I am CHAFING to read the rest of the series, of which there are several.

I’d recommend this yummy story to anyone who likes a fast, smart, sexy read, with a dash of international flavor. It’s as good as chocolate, but it won’t make you fat!

In this futuristic outer-space romance, cool and controlled Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar hides a tragic past behind her professional persona, and lives for war against the Drakken Horde that slaughtered her family. She’s furious when peace is declared, Drakken and Coalition forces are united, and Drakken Warleader Finn Rorkken is named her second-in-command for a diplomatic mission she despises. Despite the hostility between their races, the two starship officers fall in love, but their feelings are challenged when hidden prejudices jeopardize their peoples’ fragile alliance. Can Brit overcome a lifetime of grief and hatred to see past an ally’s disguise, or will racial prejudice burst into open warfare, and destroy her love with Finn?

This book is certain to delight any reader who appreciates a truly strong, smart, powerful heroine, sound world-building, and a dash of political intrigue to spice up the romantic conflict. Brit is an exceptional heroine, vulnerable yet thoroughly competent and confident, while Finn makes a likable and attractive hero. The racial tension and their personal history of combat and pursuit across the galaxy bring a believable conflict and obstacles to this romance. A secondary romantic subplot adds further interest, and the loose ends are tied up nicely for a satisfying conclusion.

There’s a great deal to applaud in this futuristic romance, which strikes exactly the right balance between sensuality, personal and galactic conflict. Very well done, and a nice introduction to the genre for anyone curious about futuristic/sci-fi romance, with an emphasis on the romance.

In this sexy romantic suspense set in modern-day Scotland and San Francisco, mountain climber and renowned art conservationist Nell MacInnes has kept the world at arms’ length since her father–a famous art thief–was savagely beaten by cops and incarcerated a lifetime ago. Now her father’s life is threatened, and Nell can only save him if she learns to trust ruthless but sexy Navy SEAL Dakota Smith—the guy who never lets a woman close. If they fail, Dakota, Nell and her father will die, and terrorists will use millions in illicit revenue from a stolen da Vinci sketch to finance their dirty deeds.

This romantic suspense was superbly conceived and executed. The art world is a sexy and fascinating milieu in which to set a terrorist crime, and the tautly written scenes utilizing Nell’s climbing expertise are well researched and gripping. Nell makes a smart, strong, and determined heroine, Dakota performs well as the hero, the sensual tension between the two is explosive, and Nell’s father the art thief is another fascinating and surprisingly sympathetic character. Although the genre of romantic suspense is currently enjoying a surfeit of novels with Navy SEAL heroes, this one is well worth exploring. It kept me up late—very late—to finish this read!

Previously, I had only read this author’s memorable historical romances, some of which enjoy prominent space on my keeper shelf. I was delighted to learn that her contemporary work is equally enjoyable. I’d recommend this read for anyone who enjoys romantic suspense, SEALs, and anyone with an interest in mountaineering or Renaissance art.

In this western contemporary romance, twenty-something realtor Cheyenne Bridges reluctantly returns to her small town roots in rural Arizona in order to close a land deal her career and impoverished family are depending on. The only obstacle is cowboy/poker champ Jesse McKettrick, her high-school crush, who owns the land in question—and is determined not to sell. When the former sweethearts reconnect, their passion quickly rekindles. But Cheyenne needs to make that deal, and Jesse knows he can’t trust her with his heart. Cheyenne must figure out where her priorities lie, and fast—before her love for Jesse costs her both career and heart.

This story has the comforting fabric and dramatic setting of the best American westerns, along with a smart and determined heroine driven to succeed by the need to support her impoverished mother and her handicapped young brother. The hero is sexy and appealing, despite the lack of a real occupation, which could have made him appear shiftless in the hands of a less skilled author. Instead, Jesse’s genuine compassion for Cheyenne’s family, his ready and steady hands-on support for the crippled Mitch, and his dissatisfaction with his current lifestyle make him sympathetic.

As a writer, I really focused in this story on the heroine’s motivation. The author shows us front-and-center how much Cheyenne’s family needs her income, and thus how much Cheyenne has riding on persuading Jesse to make this real-estate deal, very much against his inclination. This conflict and tension between them swept me through the romance. A very pleasant read, and the first in a new trilogy about the McKettrick clan, past and present.

This sensual romance contains a few scenes of tasteful lovemaking, and no significant violence. It’s a good choice for anyone who enjoys western American romances or is interested in trying one, by a recognized master of the genre.

Here’s another of the papers I’ve recently written for the Stonecoast MFA program at University of Southern Maine, on the writing craft as seen by one of its recognized masters, the late John Gardner. You’re welcome to quote from my material with attribution if you like. Please give a shout-out if you find this stuff useful!

Characteristics of the Promising Writer: A Guide for Teachers from On Becoming A Novelist from John Gardner

One goal of my participation in the Stonecoast MFA program is to develop a solid foundation for teaching writing to adult students. As a novice teacher, I have worked during this first semester to develop a reading list that includes useful texts on the craft of teaching writing. One text recommended to me was On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardner. Among other focus areas, Gardner devotes substantial attention to an important question frequently posed by writing students to their teachers. Specifically, he discusses how teachers can honestly answer students wanting to know if they “have what it takes” become a writer and/or if they “should” become one.

As the author notes, novice writers often seek reassurance from teachers, mentors, and other respected writers on whether the novice should embark on a creative writing career. Gardner draws from his experience and observations to identify several traits that generally characterize a writer with potential. First, the born writer generally has a certain “verbal sensitivity” or an “ear for language,” complemented by a “gift for finding or (sometimes) inventing authentically interesting language.” (p. 3-5) Drawing from my own experience judging contests, participating in workshops, and critiquing the work of colleagues, I interpret this “verbal ear” to manifest itself in a writer’s voice and style. Although these aspects of good writing may not yet be polished in a beginner, I believe the seed of a unique voice is often present in the work of any promising writer. Somehow, the promising writer is able to use language in a unique way—without being derivative, resorting to cliché, or going overboard and smothering the reader in excess. On the other hand, says Gardner, if a writer has too much verbal sensitivity, he/she learns to balance this with other elements of fiction, and “holds himself back a little, like a compulsive punster at a funeral.” (p. 6)

An example drawn from my own recent reading illustrates this point. In the World War II spy thriller Night Soldiers by Alan Furst, the young Bulgarian hero plays chess with the Russian officer who is tutoring him in espionage. Countless chess tutorials have been described in fiction, but never in quite this way. “Levitsky the tailor…called it ‘the Russian game.’ Thus, the old man pointed out, the weak were sacrificed. The castles, fortresses, were obvious and basic; the bishops moved obliquely; the knights—an officer class—sought power in devious ways; the queen, second-in-command, was pure aggression; and the king, heart of it all, a helpless target, dependent totally on his forces for survival.” (p. 42) Among other reasons, this description is unique because it reflects the young Communist’s developing political views, which his Russian mentor is carefully cultivating: the need to sacrifice individuals for the collective good, the deviousness of the officer class (i.e. the elite or bourgeoisie), the helplessness of the king (i.e. the recently-deposed czar), etc. The narrative also foreshadows the young hero’s future disillusionment with the Russian political system, in which—as in chess—the weak are sacrificed. Thus Furst displays his “verbal sensitivity” by using rhythm, elegance, and restraint to present a commonplace description in a unique and meaningful way that provokes a flash of insight in the reader.

The second characteristic of a promising writer, says Gardner, is an accurate eye for the “telling detail”—the ability to select and describe precisely the right detail that paints a vivid image, yet reveals a broader sense of the character, setting, or situation being described. To illustrate this point, let’s look at the description of the young and wary Queen Elizabeth Tudor—who nearly lost her life before being crowned—in Fiona Buckley’s historical mystery To Shield The Queen. “[The queen’s] clothes were like the outer defenses of a castle. I had to gaze hard to see past them, to the shield-shaped face, the golden-brown eyes under faint, arched eyebrows….These too were defenses of a kind for they told one nothing: her face was truly a shield.” (p. 18) Thus we receive from a couple of tiny details (e.g. the queen’s gown like a castle’s defenses, the “shield-shaped face”) the overwhelming impression of a cautious and guarded woman shielding herself in a vulnerable position.

The third characteristic of the promising writer, as identified by Gardner, is the ability to create strong and vivid characters. One must “move like a daemon from one body—one character—to another….[One] must be able to report, with convincing precision, how the world looks to a child, a young woman, an elderly minister, or the governor of Utah.” (p. 30) Excellent examples of this ability abound in good fiction. One strong example is drawn from the medieval romance For My Lady’s Heart by RITA award-winning author Laura Kinsale. Her heroine is a powerful and devious nobleman whose rivals have threatened to assassinate her for her inheritance. When she is wooed by the king’s son the Duke of Lancaster (who would claim her lands if he weds her), the heroine must reject him convincingly to avoid provoking her enemies. While the vast majority of unwedded noblewomen during this period would undoubtedly seek to encourage the king’s son, the heroine must plot to humiliate him, for “the Riata must be shown that she would not have the duke, and they must be shown it soon and well. She suffered Lancaster’s attentions to grow more and more direct. She began to encourage him, though he needed no encouragement from her to lead himself to his own humiliation. She was angry, but smiled. She regretted him, but she smiled still, ruthless, laughing at his wit, complimenting his banquet. It was no sweet love that drove Lancaster now, but ambition and a man’s lust. She could not save him if he would not save himself.” (p. 27) Thus, we are deeply embedded in the heroine’s unique point of view, and we witness the powerful Lancaster’s courtship through the lens of the heroine’s anger and desperation. Returning to Gardner, he offers some encouragement for the novice here, noting that even if a writer does not begin with a gift for strong characterization, he/she can usually develop it “to some extent.”

As he progresses to describe the secondary characteristics of a promising writer, Gardner surrenders to a certain dry humor and presents these traits in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner. For example, the talented writer is alleged to display “a tendency toward churlishness” when he/she encounters bad fiction. In this case, “one’s honor is sullied—the honor of the whole profession is sullied—and one’s purpose in life is undermined, especially if readers and reviewers seem unable to tell the difference between the real thing and the fake.” (p. 34-36) Many frustrated writers would undoubtedly sympathize with this description. Another alleged character trait of the promising writer is childishness, “an apparent lack of mental focus and serious life purpose, a fondness for daydreaming and telling pointless lies, a lack of proper respect, mischievousness, an unseemly propensity for crying over nothing.” (p. 34) This becomes useful, Gardner says dryly, when a writer is approached at a party and asked “’what do you do?’ meaning: ‘How come you sit around all the time?’ …Here the virtue of childishness is helpful…his tendency to cry, especially when drunk, a trick that makes persecutors quit.” (p. 46)

Still speaking irreverently, Gardner continues an extensive list of other secondary characteristics that should help the teacher identify and encourage a promising writer, such as “remarkable powers of eidetic recall, or visual memory (a usual feature of early adolescence and mental retardation)…embarrassing earnestness, often heightened by irrationally intense feelings for or against religion; patience like a cat’s; a criminal streak of cunning; psychological instability; recklessness, impulsiveness, and improvidence….” After this rather dubious list, the writer is left with the impression that if he/she does not have “what it takes” as defined by Gardner to be successful, this may not be a bad thing, and the writer may be a happier person without these burdens!

Overall, On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardner provides useful insights for novice teachers on how to identify a promising writer, as well as other issues relevant to teachers who strive to provide good mentorship. However, the book is not devoid of shortcomings. Among other problems, Gardner sometimes betrays a sneering disdain for genre fiction, including science fiction, detective stories, and “women’s magazine fiction.” In addition, for the would-be teacher like myself, the book seems long on colorful anecdotes that lead us to admire the author’s wit, but somewhat short on practical guidance for the novice teacher. Nonetheless, at minimum, the book is useful in facilitating writers’ understanding of themselves—what makes us tick, and what qualities we can cultivate in ourselves in order to become better writers.


Copyright 2009 by Xenia Navarre