Rondeau

Book 3 of  the beautifully written and thoroughly enthralling Madrigal series starts off with Comte de Chagny Raoul and Christine celebrating the 16th birthday of their son, the vicomte Andre. Joining in the festivities is old friend Police Inspector Jules Legard, Andre's godfather and... an uninvited guest, the sinister bounty hunter Loup, who has returned to extort money from Raoul for information on Erik and Anna, who have vanished to no one knows where. Or have they? Loup seems to have some idea and Raoul wants proof before financing the merciless hunter any further although he would dearly love to see Erik behind bars at the very least.

Miles away, Erik and his family are ensconced safely, so they believe, in a monastery in Germany. Erik and Anna have two fantastic and amazing children. Philippe, a beautiful and perfect 15 year old with hints of genius and little seven year old Simone who carries the curse of the Phantom on her face and his love for music in her heart. Erik's devotion to his family has redefined his life and when Loup tracks down Anna and kidnaps her he is bringing down the wrath of the Phantom on all involved.
Jennifer Linforth has created a world and life for Erik that we can completely believe in and become emotionally involved in. Erik's pain at the reaction of people to Simone when first delighted by her violin playing they then see her face and turn from her in horror is almost unbearably moving, as is his statement that she will never be masked.  The story takes some surprising turns when lies are revealed, truths told and alliances and friendships formed, and tragedies averted. The spirited and talented heirs to the Phantom's story and history, Andre, Philippe and Simone come to life on the pages. We meet, again, Erik's old ally, the Persian, Daroga, and this relationship is expanded and developed so charmingly it is just perfect.  I LOVED this book. There were parts when tears threatened to short-out the kindle. If you want to lose yourself in a romantic, heartbreaking story of love, revenge and redemption then READ this series NOW!

Abendlied: Phantom on the Run

As we continue with book 2 of Jennifer Linforth's engaging Phantom of the Opera series, Erik and Anna are on the run making their way away from Paris traveling on the fringes of vagabond and outcast encampments and not exactly sure which crimes they are wanted for. There had been a murder, which was completely justified and a barn fire but that somehow doesn't seem to warrant their unrelenting pursuit by a mysterious tracker. Along the way they picked up a fellow traveler, an old man with a wry sense of humor who is not afraid of Erik despite all his efforts to shake him off. Pappy becomes a true and loyal friend to the pair and a voice of reason on many occasions.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Erik, he is being blamed for the death of Raoul's brother, Comte Philippe de Chagny, whose body had been found by the lake in the cellars of the Paris Opera House.
Then there is Christine, consumed with love for her Angel of Music and mad with jealousy of Anna. When she could have stepped forward and told the truth of what happened to her when she was kidnapped by Anna's evil father she never did and things have a way of spiraling out of control when one lie leads to another. Now, with Erik blamed for Philippe's death, Raoul sets Loup, a merciless bounty hunter, after them. Surprisingly, Loup could care less about the Phantom, it is Anna he would truly like to hunt down.
Abendlied is a compelling sequel to Madrigal. Ms. Linforth creates a uniquely sadistic villain in Loup. She also breathes life into Leroux's secondary character of the Comte Philippe de Chagny. He becomes a heroic ally for Erik and a moral conscience, very much someone who commands the pages he's given in this story. She has also made some brave choices with where she takes Erik, Anna, Raoul and Christine in their separate and intertwining love stories. READ this NOW and take this journey into the life and mind of our favorite Murderer, Maestro, Magician, Mastermind. Next week I'll continue the series with Rondeau.

Phantom-tastic Fiction

One of the things I am known for at the library where I work is corralling patrons and recommending books that I think they should read. Usually these are people whose tastes I know pretty well. But not always. I have come to think of myself as the "Militant Recommender"! Perhaps I should wear a mask and cape.
Speaking of masks and capes I am going to begin this weekly blog with a look at Phantom of the Opera and some of the books that have been written around the great and tragic love story at the center of Gaston Leroux's classic. In short,  Erik, the Phantom, lives a reclusive life below the Paris Opera House where he spends his time creating musical masterpieces and falling for the unattainable and, some feel, undeserving, Christine Daae, an ingenue opera singer and dancer. Erik sees Christine as a potential super star of the opera world and spends considerable amounts of time singing to her through mirrors and helping her reach her vocal potential. She, meanwhile, is being courted by Viscount (or Vicomte) Raoul de Chagny, whom she knew from childhood, but who is not half the romantic suitor Erik is. And Erik also has that masked thing going for him, which is pretty sexy and mysterious. So mysterious that when Christine gives in and goes with him to his underground lair (great word!) she can not help herself from sneaking over and slipping off the mask which covers the deformity that makes mask wearing a necessity and not a fashion accessory. Not to give away the whole story here, let us just say, songs are sung, chandeliers fall and love doesn't quite conquer all, though we who are obsessed with this great character think it should. The original story is witty, compelling and truly a classic of gothic romantic fiction.

Because of the way Erik is treated in the original, several authors have taken his character and written sequels, many quite romantic. One of the very best books written is Susan Kay's Phantom which creates a beautifully realized history for Erik. I am going to reread this one and write about it in a couple of weeks.
 I just finished Madrigal by Jennifer Linforth, which I found deliciously addictive!

There are two follow-ups, and I will write about those as I read them.

Madrigal revolves around Erik resurfacing from the quiet life he has been leading in the cellars below the Opera House, after faking his death. Ms. Linforth weaves aspects of the original Phantom into her story while making him even more of a romantic, a man who still longs for Christine, but unexpectedly finds himself the object of the affections of Anna, a 23 year old girl who is working off her evil father's debts at the Opera House.
There are murders, intrigue and the return of Christine to complicate this enchanting love story.  Anna comes across as  brave and compassionate as the girl who loves and accepts the man behind the mask and is willing to take a back seat to his rekindled passion for Christine. READ this NOW! If you're a Phantom fan or someone who likes a good romance, this is worth checking out!