OXFORD WHISPERS
By
Marion Croslydon
A painting with haunting powers
A murderous ghost back for revenge
Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead. She has vowed to ignore her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic gift passed down through her Louisiana family. The world of the living is where she wants to belong.
But her resolution shatters when the ill-fated lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class at Oxford—begin to haunt her. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War.
In misty present-day Oxford, Madison embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of the past and understand her personal bond with the painting. To protect herself, she must learn to accept her gift before life imitates art, in all its tragedy.
College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting.
With the spirit of a murderer in hot pursuit, Madison comes to realize that her own first love may be doomed…
Based on a real Pre-Raphaelite painting, Oxford Whispers is full of romance, drama and suspense.
Fall in love for the first time… Again.
About the author:
I am a true citizen of the world. I was born in West Africa, grew up in the South of France, and studied in Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town, and Oxford before finally settling down in London. This wide variety of cities has provided lots of inspiration for my writing. Talk about culture exposure!
In addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur, wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course. My debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country and English rock.
My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and cause their hearts to beat a little faster. Since my writing is all about sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.
Visit the author:
www.marioncroslydon.com
www.twitter.com/mcroslydon
www.facebook.com/marioncroslydon
www.youtube.com/user/marioncroslydon.
My thoughts:
Oxford Whispers has a premise that I really like in a book. A contemporary novel which is also a historical novel, as it switches back and forth from the present to the past. There is also the edition of a famous pre-Raphaelite painting that adds to the mystery of the past. I'm a sucker for books that derive a story from famous paintings. The story of Madison and Rupert and how they are tied to the past are depicted in the William Shakespeare Burton painting, The Wounded Cavalier. Gorgeous painting (see below). So, of course, the parts of the book that tell of the past were what drew my interest. Unfortunately, I wish I could have felt more of a connection with the modern day characters of Madison and Rupert. Madison especially just came across too good to be true to me. A Louisiana girl who has a voodoo heritage, who went to Yale and at one point she says she's from Boston and that she has an ancestor who was in the Salem witch trials. I guess the ancestor from Salem had to be introduced to explain Madison's connection to the past in England. And then there's Rupert, a suave, aristocratic man who smokes cigarettes like the Marlboro man. It just doesn't fit. Maybe I just don't read enough paranormal romance to understand how this type of book works, but I just found the interaction of the characters corny and contrived. But again, that is only in regards to the contemporary characters. The historical parts of the book were good. It was easy to sense the Puritanical time that the author was depicting and the strife of the English Civil War. In all, I would say to give this one a read if you like historical novels and switches from past to present. That is enough to make the book worthwhile.
Note: It has been pointed out to me that the character who is from Boston and has the Salem ancestor was not Madison, but, in fact, was Jackson. I do apologize to the author for that misstep. I totally read that part wrong!
The Wounded Cavalier--William Shakespeare Burton, 1855
Marion will be giving away a $20 New Adult Reading pack --i.e. selected NA titles on Amazon to one commenter on the tour)! Check out all the stops on the TOUR for more chances to win.
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If this is open to all, I would appreciate being counted. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHello Michelle, I'm sorry Oxford Whispers wasn't your "cup of tea" ;-) Thanks for giving it a chance though. However, just for the sake of clarity, I'd like to clarify that Madison doesn't come from Boston or have ancestors in Salem. It's actually the backstory of an entirely different character (Jackson). You must have gotten confused. All the best, Marion
ReplyDeleteMarion, I do apologize for that misstep in my review. I will add a note to correct it. And as I stated in the review, I really liked the historical parts of the novel. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. =O)
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ReplyDeleteThis sounds exactly like my kind of book. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletejenniferhaile1 at gmail dot com
Nice post and review.
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