From this Moment

Back Cover

Stella West's artistic talent made her the toast of London, but when her beloved sister dies under mysterious circumstances she abandons everything and heads for Boston.  With single-minded determination she fights to pierce the ring of secrecy surrounding her sister's death.  Upon meeting Romulus White, a publisher with connections into every important power circle in the city, she quickly realizes he could be a valuable ally in navigating Boston society.

Romulus has been pursuing Stella for years to create art for his magazine.  Her luminous illustrations are the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry, and he will stop at nothing to get her on board.

Sparks fly at the instant they join forces, but Romulus is unsettled by the unwelcome attraction he feels toward Stella, fearing she might be the one woman who could disrupt his hard-won independence.  He may have finally met his match in Stella, but is helping her solve the mystery of her sister's death worth the risk to his publishing empire?

Review

I really loved this novel.  The story was great, an intriguing mystery entrenched in story rich with historical detail.  But the real stars of the show in this book was not the plot, nor the setting, but the characters.

Stella is bold and brash - unequivocal in her opinion of herself and handles relationships much like a bull navigating a china shop.  She is amusing and highly talented - and meets her match in the form of Romolus who equals her tenacity and self-confidence, a man who is passionate about everything and attacks projects with fervor (even if only for a short period of time).  His lack of attention span is something Stella compliments in her single-minded focus on issues.  As iron sharpens iron, these two characters buffets the others' weaknesses and embolden their strengths.  It is truly one of the greatest character matches I've read.  The two aren't polar opposite and neither are they exactly like the other.  But they mesh so well, bringing life to the story and themselves so much so I half-expected them to jump off the page and take real-life form in front of me.

From this Moment was well-written and left me wanting more.  Highly recommend!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.