Review & Giveaway: Strands of Bronze & Gold by Jane Nickerson

Strand of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication date: March 12th 2013
My rating:  4.5 stars 

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

I’m not usually drawn to historical romances, but I’m so glad I picked this one up because it was an exciting ride!  Strands of Bronze and Gold was filled with mystery and opulence, and oozed suspense.  I was on the edge of my seat for much of this read!

Sophie is a girl “genteel, but only in a theoretical way.”  As she goes on to explain, theoretically she knows how to live a fancy life but in practice can’t afford it.   This is all about to change when her father dies unexpectedly and her godfather, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, collects her to live at Wyndriven Abbey.  Although Sophie has not seen M. Bernard since she was a little girl, he’s sent extravagant gifts to her over the years.  She assumes he’s old and married but soon finds out he is neither.  He’s not more than forty, he’s stunningly handsome and a widower. 

Sophie is both shocked and flattered by his treatment.  He doesn’t behave like a father figure but she’s captivated by his enigmatic personality and good looks.  He lavishes attention and gifts on her and it’s wonderful, but also too much.  Sophie soon feels the shine of this opulent life wear off and soon she finds M. Bernard’s demeanor can change in a heartbeat.  He’s happy and all charm one minute and the next his temper flares.  He wants Sophie only to himself, keeping her isolated from any outsiders and even frowning on her becoming friendly with the servants.  Little curiosities start popping up, and Sophie starts to wonder about M. Bernard’s past. 

This was dark, romantic, and mysterious.  The suspense notched up in intensity chapter by chapter and I was anxious to discover what would happen next.  M. Bernard’s character thrilled and attracted me in one moment, only to repel and frighten me in the next! 

“I worried you might be huddled in your bed terrified. I tried to come reassure you.”

“Did you?”

“I did, but your door was locked. Do you lock it every night?”

“I do.”

“Do you think someone is plotting against your virtue?” A gleam of amusement twinkled in his honey brown eyes.

“No sir, I simply feel more secure with the big dark house shut out.”

“You know I have all the keys, don’t you? I could enter at any time I wanted.” *

*heart beats wildly*

Sophie, who’s only seventeen, is forced into dealing with things beyond her years.  She was just the type of heroine I love:  admirable, brave, and resourceful.  She wasn’t whiny or frustrating in her choices but you wonder nervously how this will all turn out.  I will say there is romance, for those of you like me that need to know.  But I won’t elaborate any further.

The descriptions of the lavish surroundings brought this extravagant world to life. You’re impressed but at the same time a little disturbed by it too:

Knowing my past predilection for luxury, I should be in raptures to reside in such surroundings, showered with lovely things. But everything was too much. It was as if the world here were coated with glamour, as in some fairy tales, with nothing really as it seemed. *

I starting reading this knowing it was a re-telling of Bluebeard, but I’ve never been real clear on the story.  I knew it involved killing his wives, and you really don’t need to know more than that.  It doesn’t make a difference in your enjoyment one way or the other, but if you’re curious the author has the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale on Ms. Nickerson’s blog.  There’s also an interesting history of the tale on Wikipedia and I found a few details carried into this story. 

As I said before, I don’t gravitate toward historical romance.  Usually all the descriptions make me yawn, but not in this case.  There was a lot of description, but Ms. Nickerson gave just enough to immerse me in the world without bogging down the plot.  It was a thrilling read!

I’m curious to hear what the next book will be about since this wraps up nicely.  I think it’s a companion novel set in the same world. 

*Quotes taken from uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.
  
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