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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2017)
18 // COASTWEEKEND.COM BOOK SHELF // GLIMPSE // WILDLIFE // POP CULTURE // WORDS // Q&A // FOOD // FUN BOOKMONGER No good rhyme nor reason for this romance Prolifi c Seattle romance writer Elizabeth Boyle is back with the newest installment in her latest series: “Six Impossible Things” is the sixth book in the Rhymes With Love cycle. While some of the pre- vious titles (“Along Came a Duke,” “If Wishes Were Earls,” “And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake”) do reference familiar nursery rhymes, “Six Impossible Things” seems to stray from Mother Goose and instead borrows from Lewis Carroll. (Readers who remember “Alice Through the Looking Glass” will recall the White Queen’s daily practice of believing “as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”) Perhaps others will be clever enough to discern some connection between the title and the story. This reader could not, but, instead, was distracted by the notion that a Regency romance would make this reference to a book whose author was born consider- ably after the Regency era. With that apparent mis- match already niggling at back of mind, it was diffi cult to settle into the story’s early chapters, which do their own bit of jumping back and forth in time. In this tale, Roselie Strat- ton is a young woman who debuted in London Society four years earlier, yet still remains single. This would be considered a problem by most ladies of her era, but it is an advantage for Roselie, who leads a double life as an undercover operative for the Home Offi ce. When she dons a wig and an attitude considerably more brazen than befi ts a lady of the ton, Roselie becomes Asteria, a spy who roams through some of London’s seediest neigh- borhoods seeking evidence about turncoats who would betray England on Napo- leon’s behalf. In spite of the dangers she confronts in this double life, the person Roselie is most concerned about is Baron Rimswell – Brody – a childhood friend who has grown up to become a very dashing eligible bachelor. He also – unknown to most – is an agent for the Home Offi ce. As Asteria, Roselie has had some – ahem – unnerv- ingly close encounters, shall we say, with Brody, but he has not yet fi gured out her true identity. She fears that if he does, he will want to forbid her from participating in any more of this danger- ous but critically important work. The fi rst two-thirds of this book is a slog through proper tea parties and dances on the one hand, and louche bacchanals on the other. Roselie is involved in some skulduggery that is hard to follow, and whenever she and Brody encounter one an- Six Impossible Things – Elizabeth Boyle Avon – 378 pp - $7.99 other sparks fl y and, invari- ably, his mouth “crashe[s] down on hers.” For Roselie, having him so close leaves her feeling “… tangled. Furious. Deliri- ous.” Whereas from Brody’s point of view, Roselie is ever “Toying with him. Tempting him. Pushing him.” The real action – and I’m talking about the plot here, not the sex – doesn’t really gain momentum until the fi nal third of the book, and then it becomes quite entertaining. But in the meantime, you’ll have to put up with a lot of pages that are … repe- titious. Tedious. Overdone. The Bookmonger is Bar- bara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, au- thors and publishers of the Pacifi c Northwest. Contact her at bkmonger@nwlink. com MOONLIGHT KARAOKE MOBILE KARAOKE WITH KJ/DJ Trail’s End Art Association • Weddings • Receptions • Reunions • Birthdays • Anniversary Parties • Private Parties • Entertainments • Corporate Events presents 67 th JUDGED ANNUAL SHOW 971.386.7369 Tom.w.Cozart@gmail.com VISUAL PLEASURE FOR GENERATIONS GALLERY SALE MAY 26 - 27 Every Framed Original Painting 20% off. Light refreshments. OAHU, HAWAII WORKSHOP - Now signing up VENICE WORKSHOP - Space available LONG BEACH PENINSULA WORKSHOPS - July & August WIEGARDT STUDIO GALLERY 2607 BAY AVE, OCEAN PARK, WA • 360.665.5976 • ERICWIEGARDT.COM 2 0 LANDSCAPE $ BARK (U-HAUL) per yard WARRENTON FIBER 861-3305 Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm 389 NW 13th St., Warrenton July 1-28, 2017 Best of Show 2016 Debbie Loyd Submit Art: June 25-26 • Reception: July 1, 2-5pm • Awards: 3pm Get Call For Art at our Center or www.trailsendart.org OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS ALL AGES! We’re located at 656 A St. in Gearhart 503-717-9458
