Reviewer: Robyn Roberts
Title: The Lily Brand
Author: Sandra Schwab
Publisher: Leisure Books, Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
ISBN: 0-8439-5552-X
Release Date: July 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Romance
Year/Setting: Year/Setting: 1815--1818
Overall rating: 3.75
Sexual content rating: Sensual
Sandra's Website:
www.sandraschwab.com
Sandra Schwab has an excellent debut book coming summer of 2005. The Lily Brand is a dark historical romance. For those who may not know, a dark romance is one that shows the darker side of human nature. These novels are often more edgy than you would normally find and this book is no exception. If you’ve never read a dark romance before, this would be a perfect book to introduce you to the genre. This story has a sensual quality to it that is wonderfully refreshing.
Lily has been exposed to things we can’t even imagine. After her father dies, her step-mother begins a strange "training" for Lily including picking a male prisoner to become her own pet. Lily has learned to cloak her heart and mind in ice while her new "pet" (Troy) hates her from the core of his being.
Imagine both their surprise to run into each other at a ball a year later. They end up marrying to avoid a scandal. It’s an interesting twist of events that works on her icy heart and his burning hate for her.
Ms. Schwab gave such detailed descriptions of the estates, gardens and people that I felt as if I knew them myself. I found myself wondering about the characters and transported into the gardens she described. I also found myself trying to dust off the cobwebs in my brain to remember some of my French from high school. Since our heroine was living in France, there are statements made off and on in French. I had no trouble deciphering them and I believe even if you never took French, you’ll understand these phrases.
After reading the book, you will be shocked to learn of Ms. Schwab’s own story. She always wanted to be a writer and had to switch both the genre and the language of the story to find it published. She is a German writer who has a masterful grasp of the English language. The story stood on it’s own, but knowing she was writing in a foreign language gave me an entirely new respect for her book.
I hope you’ll enjoy this dark romance by an up and coming author.
Robyn
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