The
Truth Seekers
By Mavvy Vasquez
Genre: Victorian Historical Romance
He wants to
change the world; she wants to embrace it.
Welcome to the
world of the Victorian upper class: a vibrant, strictly ordered society that
encourages gentle, intellectual pursuits but condemns those who reject its
conventions.
In a community
created to celebrate the Arts, gothic novelist Geoffrey Hawes finds himself
coerced into lecturing to the idle rich. Reluctant to abandon his solitude, he
must concede or risk offending his wealthy patrons. Bitter and disenchanted
with the privileged and wealthy, Geoffrey hides his scorn as best he can, but
he refuses to let the social conventions of the time determine the course of
his life.
The last thing
he expects to find in this rarefied world is someone who understands his
unconventional views. Budding artist Miranda Claridge, the Governor’s
intelligent and vivacious daughter, uses her unique perspective to open
Geoffrey’s eyes to all that is beautiful and good in the world. Wise beyond her
years, she is able to see beyond the trappings of society to the wonder of
small, every day details, but unlike Geoffrey, she is unwilling to reject the
conventional duties of rank and family. Her calm acceptance of her life’s
predetermined path frustrates and bewilders the fiery, passionate Geoffrey, but
she does not hesitate to challenge his beliefs with equal determination. In the
midst of their many heated debates on the mores of the upper class, this
unlikely friendship blossoms into a passionate, impossible love. Although
Geoffrey does not deny his longing for Miranda, he cannot convince her to
abandon what she believes to be right. In order to win her, he will have to
sacrifice his own pride and convictions. To find a solution, they must discover
where their true destinies lie. In a battle between principles and passion, can
there be a victor?
Frustrated,
Geoffrey left the assembly and returned to his lodgings. He gravitated once
more to his balcony, gulping in great gusts of air in an attempt to clear his
head. Now that he was away from Miranda Claridge’s intoxicating presence, he
searched for some rational thought that would rid him of this impossible
infatuation. It proved to be a futile effort. When at last he conceded defeat,
he saw that each interaction with her had but served to increase the strength
of the unbearable yearning, and that the kindest course of action to take for
himself would be to remove himself from her presence altogether.
However, the
next day he discovered that the temptation to see her once more was too great
to resist, and he found himself standing in the Claridges’ well-appointed home
before many more hours had passed. A drink had been pressed into his palm, and
he gripped it like an anchor while he watched Miranda’s elegant figure float
into the room. She wound her way through the throng with practiced ease,
smiling and dispensing the appropriate welcoming sentiments to her parents’
guests. He suspected that the words falling from her lips with such aplomb were
insincere at times, knowing as he did the personalities to whom they were
addressed, but no indication of her personal opinions was revealed by that
smooth mask.
She was
beautiful and alluring, it was true. But he hated to see her like this. The
light in her eyes was dimmed, almost unperceivable, and her gentle smile was
too restrained, allowing no hint of unladylike wit to mar the smooth lines of
her face. Even as he winced at this façade she had assumed, he found that he
could not look away. He watched her progress while she moved in his direction.
So absolute was his focus on his inward struggle, so lost was he in the dark
byways of his conflicted mind, that when at last she made her way to his side,
he was startled to find her there before him. Recalling himself, he met her
frank appraisal with a frown.
“It was good of
you to come,” she said, her voice ringing with the cultured timbre that had
been bred into the members of their class.
“I did not wish
to disappoint you,” he replied in a bitter tone.
Miranda laughed,
and the sound rang false in his ears. “My goodness, you do appear cross this
evening!”
“Don’t,” he
growled at her. “Don’t you dare play the gracious hostess with me.”
There is no
doubt in my mind that Ms. Lawrence can pull off a historical romance with flair
and grace, and she delivered a wonderful period piece, surpassing my
expectations.
The Truth
Seekers is a mix of elegant prose, laugh out loud Victorian courtship and
larger than life characters. Ms. Lawrence did not hold back on vivid
descriptions, thought provoking dialogues and believable conflict. I can keep
talking about the many reasons why The Truth Seekers is an excellent novel, but
I urge you to read it and make your own judgment. This is not just a
recommended read, it’s a must read. --Lorenz Font
I fell in love
with period stories when I was younger and that love stayed with me, so when I
was given the opportunity to read this novel, I jumped at the chance. I have
always been somewhat wary about how well an author could pull off a period
story, but that was not the case with this author.
From the first
page, I was drawn into the story and at many points in the book, I felt as
though I was actually with the characters. That’s a rare thing for me and it
goes to show how extremely talented and hardworking this author is. Everything
down to the finer details were spot on and not once did I feel as though there
were any errors in the timing or language of the book.
The characters,
Miranda and Geoffrey, were very easy to relate to and I think they will be the
couple that will stay with me for a very long time and I will happily re-read
this book over the coming years.
Thanks to this
author, my love affair with period romances will continue and I can’t wait
until she releases something else that I can read with so much love and
passion. --J.C. Clarke
As a
self-proclaimed bibliophile, I’ve always enjoyed a variety of books. In my
lifetime, I’ve read, and enjoyed mind you, many of the greats: Shakespeare,
Poe, D. H. Lawrence, Austen, and Hawthorne, to name a few. Dickens was always a
little tedious for me, to be honest. Of course, I’ve enjoyed the more modern
writers such as King, Stephen Donaldson, Diana Gabaldon, and Anne Rice, as
well. The point I’m trying to make is that I have an appreciation for the
written word, and when I sat down with Elizabeth Lawrence’s The Truth Seekers,
it didn’t take long to realize another great was in my hands.
How often does a
reviewer find themselves having to Google information before penning their
review? This is the level that Lawrence took me to with her novel. The whole
time I was reading about Geoffrey Hawes and Miss Miranda Claridge, there was
something that was eluding me. Victorian romances I’d read in the past were
always enjoyable, but there was something . . . more . . . about The Truth
Seekers. Something that resonated within and told me how unique this modern day
offering of a style gone by was. Then it hit me with the power of this passage:
For one long
moment, he was paralyzed by his complete astonishment. Then, in a sudden surge
of activity, he was on his feet and running. He burst out onto the street, his
lungs heaving in great, greedy gusts of air as he dashed past tourists and
street vendors, heedless of the cries of irritation that followed his mad,
careening flight. His relentless pace was that of a desperate man whose last
opportunity for salvation was about to slip through his fingers as he raced up
the steps of Miranda’s lodging house and beat upon the door. He was at first
unable to make himself understood by the answering servant, and the delay
caused by this miscommunication was agony to him. At last he ascertained
Miranda’s whereabouts and charged up the stairs to her rooms without any
thought for the propriety of his behavior. He flung her door open, not
bothering to knock, and it crashed open with a thunderous reverberation. ~The
Truth Seekers
While the hero’s
point of view is common enough in modern day romances, it was not the norm for
that period in history. I googled it; because I started second guessing myself!
What a bold and brilliant move by Lawrence.
From the first
page the reader is sucked into Geoffrey’s head; we get to experience all the
turmoil of his forward thinking beliefs (always the way with eccentric
novelists) and how they almost become his downfall. Through his eyes, Miranda
Claridge is seen much like a morning glory: so fragile, yet so full of life and
glorious as she opens to the possibilities each new day brings, then withering
and closing under the extreme heat of the afternoon, i.e. Society.
I could continue
to elucidate how wonderful this novel is. Allow me, instead, to suggest that if
you have even the slightest fondness for a well-told romance that will leave
you guessing until the end if the ‘guy gets the girl,’ then don’t wait. The
Truth Seekers is a modern day masterpiece which will win you over faster than a
suitor come calling, and one that I will proudly display next to my cherished
copies of Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Stand.
Bravo, Ms.
Lawrence. Bravo. --R.E. Hargrave
Paperback
Mavvy Vasquez is
an author of contemporary and period fiction. Also published under the
pseudonym Elizabeth M. Lawrence, Ms. Vasquez enjoys weaving together different
genres to explore and examine human relationships and dynamics. A lifelong
writer and artist, Ms. Vasquez divides her free time between her husband, two
sons, three cats, her collection of cozy murder mysteries, and her mildly
severe caffeine addiction. Her eclectic background includes intellectual
property law, ghosts, ball bearings, opera, government proposals, fabrics, and
framing. A native of Lawrence, Kansas, and graduate of Allegheny College in
Pennsylvania, she now works from her home in Cleveland, Ohio.
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