Beyond the Night [Paperback]

Several good reviews are already posted for this book, so I'll just make a couple of comments. The writing style is quite good, interesting plot and characters. Quite a good adventure actually, with some nice romantic elements.

Two quick points, the heroine came close to annoying by second guessing herself and relationship with the hero...kinda making a big deal of nothing.

The second point, is the plot element whereby author explains the history behind the lost city...and places the Biblical Adam and Eve after the flood...hmmm, yeah....ok. Dropped me right out of the story. A little research by the author would have shown there is actually some evidence of an advanced pre-flood culture, which would have worked nicely into her story without displacing Adam & Eve so obviously. The Bible isn't so obscure that readers aren't going to notice the error, intentional or not.

Having lived a nomadic life of excitement that culminated in the tragic loss of her father and her own freedom, India Ashton craves dullness and security for once in her life. Wanting only to make a quiet home with her closest friends, she finds herself suddenly embroiled in the very mysteries she has long tried to abandon. The mysteries that got her father killed.

But now she discovers he may not be dead after all. A mysterious missive from him pleads for her cooperation in finding the mythical city he has long believed real. Find the city, and she shall find her father - alive. For this purpose, she will join forces with a man she has little trust for. A man who has publicly lambasted her father's theories on more than one occasion, but now seems to have done an about face as he begs her help in translating the diary that will locate the city he once believed a hoax. The man who stirs passions she never felt for another man, against her better judgment. The man she must now betray if she is to save her father.

Although a passionate historian, Ridge could never be described as anything close to bookish. His sturdy build and muscular physique speak of a man who has lived adventure rather than a man who has long dreamed of it. With the discovery of a secret journal, his dreams are about to be made real. Ridge has everything he needs to start his expedition - everything except a translation for the journal. He'll do anything to secure the cooperation of the one person in the world who can decode the valuable diary. And he will enjoy every moment of it...

I enjoy historical romances, but not just any historical romance. I like those with a little something extra to them - stories that break the molds, that redefine the genre, and kick it up a notch. Sharon Long's historicals always manage to deliver just that extra oomph I crave. She treats her historicals as standard historicals, following the social mores of the period her story is set in, the dress, and the customs, but she throws in dash of paranormal or fantasy elements - just enough to make it more interesting, but never so much that it leaves the realm of possibility. Long makes me believe there might actually be a lost city just waiting to be found by the right explorers. At least, she certainly makes me WANT to believe it.

In Beyond the Night, the author brings us a hero reminiscent of a Regency-era Indiana Jones. In fact, I pictured Harrison Ford's visage in Ridge's place more than once - not a bad thing at all! Ridge is extremely intelligent, yet also virile and masculine, maintaining a physique to rival the most outdoorsy man in spite of his more erudite passions. Although he has experienced devastating betrayal by the woman he loved in the past, he retains his capacity for compassion and love, and even trust.

India is the kind of tragic heroine that manages to foster empathy without being annoying or dependent. Despite the many tragedies she has suffered, she has managed to pick herself up after each one, dusting off the trauma like travel dust and beginning anew. We find ourselves longing for her to find peace and happiness, while still finding excitement in the adventure she embarks on. Indeed, India herself can't suppress the excitement she feels as she sets out to prove her father's theories correct and find him alive and well.

The author delivers several `Wow!' moments as long-buried secrets are revealed, relationships are healed, and others begin anew. Beyond the Night is truly something more than `just another historical romance.' If you like your romances with a touch of the fantastic, a lot of adventure, and a great suspense plot, you will not want to skip this book!

London, England 1818
Ridge, properly titled as Thomas Hadley, Viscount Ridgewood, isn't interested in sitting back and fulfilling the family obligations. He wants to travel and discover the truth about legendary civilizations and lost cities. With a newly uncovered journal written by Sir Castleton, one of the leading authorities on Pagoria, he's more convinced than ever that the legendary city really exists. Now all he needs is help translating the journal - it's written in Pagorian.

India Ashton is the daughter of the late Phillip Ashton, the other leading authority on Pagoria. She's believed to be as knowledgeable as her father, but she's also kept to herself since returning to England. There are all sorts of theories about what happened to her during the time between her father's death and her return but nothing is confirmed. India has no interest in having anything to do with traveling or helping anyone continue her father's search. She's suffered enough because of her upbringing - being dragged from one remote area to another all in the name of research.

Ridge is beyond frustrated that India refuses to help him. He'd seen a glimmer of interest in her eyes when he first showed her the journal of her father's nemesis, but she denies him anyway. With Ridge's visit comes inexplicable discontent. It quickly becomes obvious that refusing to help him means not finding answers to her own questions - especially since she's discovered evidence that her father may possibly still be alive. When someone breaks into her home demanding information she decides it's time to stop allowing fear to rule her. If Ridge is willing to fund the venture then she's willing to help - but she's got her secrets that she's not about to share. Can these two avoid any emotional attachment while they go in search of Pagoria?

BEYOND THE NIGHT is a wonderfully imaginative tale that appeals on many different levels. I quickly became emotionally vested in the characters and their issues. They've endured so much heartache already I really just wanted them to help each other find happiness - and if they happened to find Pagoria while they're at it then so much the better. Sharon Long adds just the right amount of fantasy to this historical tale to make it feel very plausible and just the sort of book that holds the reader's attention through the entire tale.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)