Review for Dawn Thompson's Bride of Time

Tessa La Prelle, a scullery maid in 1903 London, dreams of a life better than her own. She finds an object for her fantasies in a local gallery - the work of Regency artist Giles Longworth. His brooding self-portrait is fascinating, but not as intriguing as the scandalously beautiful painting called The Bride of Time.

When a false accusation sends Tessa running, she never dreams that she will flee from the bobbies straight into the carriage of Giles himself. Before she can fully understand what has happened, she is bundled off to Longworth Abbey as governess to Giles' ward, the incorrigible young Master Monty.

Giles Longworth has problems of his own, Master Monty chief among them. There have been murders on the Cornish moors, his own unfaithful wife included, and rumours of werewolves. He has his own suspicions. When Tessa shows up on his doorstep, he's not inclined to ask where she came from. She is a godsend - a help with the problem of his ward, and the perfect inspiring model for his newest painting - The Bride of Time.

With the full moon on the rise, the plot is about to thicken.

Dawn Thompson's new book is a triumph, a delicate balance between the dark sensuality of the gothic romance, and the hedonistic gaiety of the Regency, the complexity of time travel, and the mystery of shape shifting. Her characters are multidimensional and realistic, her setting captures the imagination, and her story is gripping. I couldn't put it down. The literary community has lost a great talent in Ms. Thompson, yet her writing will live on.

Living the Regency

Some people think authors should write what they know. Now that's a dilemma for me, because I haven't experienced a lot, but I have learned a great deal. I know a lot about certain places and times, even though I've never been there. And sometimes I think I know more about imagined places than my own present day reality. But an author can draw on more than just the mundane experiences of daily life.

For example, I'm taken with the Regency period. I love all things Jane Austen. It's one of a few favourite time periods, but will always hold a special place in my heart -- because I lived it for two summers!

Talk about your ideal summer job. I worked at Discovery Harbour in the little town of Penetanguishene, Ontario. It's a picturesque naval and military fort from the War of 1812. I got to be a "real" Regency lady, at least, the backwoods version -- doing embroidery, playing music, dressing in the fashions of the day. Those days back in high school were the foundation of all my present Regency writing, and directly inspired two of my Regency short stories: "Arms o' the Sea", and the soon-to-be-released "The Farmer's Son".

So I guess that goes to show that you should write what you know, but you should never let that limit you!