Palace Circle

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 076793055X, Paperback)

Always intrigued by the family unit--what brings families together, or in turn, what tears them apart--I was immediately drawn to Rebecca Dean’s masterful storytelling in Palace Circle, set in early 20th century England. In many of my novels I examine how families are affected by crisis, change, or death, and it’s the development of how characters react to such situations that I often find most interesting.

In Palace Circle, Delia, strong and confident ahead of her time, is at the center of a swirling maelstrom of family passions. A Virginian belle, she is swept off her feet by Ivor Conisborough, an English aristocrat twenty years her senior. Delia marries Ivor and sets off for glamour and adventure in England–only to learn that life with Ivor is far from what she had expected.

Soon it becomes oh-so obvious that Ivor has married Delia to bear him a son and that his true heart belongs to his long-time lover. Rather than return in shame to Virginia, Delia learns to ignore Ivor’s affair and becomes a favorite at the Royal Court. She charms all the men around her and soon lose her own heart to one of Ivor’s long-time friends. With her beauty, social grace and way with men, she’s both admired and hated by the other women at Court.

Family and what it represents are important to both Delia and Ivor. He never gets his male heir as Delia instead bears two daughters--Petra and Davina--both with their mother’s strong will. Petra’s determination to marry a long-time family friend adds yet another layer of intrigue, while Davina creates turmoil on her own by rejecting the high society life which her parents had planned for her.

Dean’s writing is enveloping. Events and emotions spread across time and space. From Virginia to England, Cairo and back. From the enlightened British society of 1911, to a darkened court during World War II. Love blooms, but not where it’s supposed to... and things are frequently not what they seem. Deep secrets lurk behind the family doors. Mix in some larger-than-life historical figures and the drama of war, and you’ll find yourself flipping the last page before you know it... hating to have reached the end of a truly delectable read.--Barbara Delinsky