Erika Rummel

When I first saw the cover of "The Loneliness of the Time Traveller" I was not sure what to expect. Such a futuristic cover! Would I like it, since I don't really read science fiction? However, I was really impressed by the story! That was the first surprise this book had to offer. It's not your average time travel tale! No innocent young heroine here. You have Lynne, a 200-year-old incubus, who has taken over several lives.
The book shifts between two narrators, one from the present and one from the past. Lynne, an incubus, has become bored with her current life in the present. She has taken over the body of Ginny Addington and is a successful stockbroker. However, the passion in her life has gone. She can't stop thinking about her lost love Jack from the 18th century. Lynne lost her life when someone, who Jack humiliated, slit her throat in revenge. Lynne took over the body of another for a number of years. It's through the diary of this person, the second narrator named Adele, that Lynne hopes to find a way back to the past and her Jack. Lynne travels to LA to work with a former colleague and academician, who can allow Lynne access to Adele's diary, but will she? There is no love lost between Lynne and her.
This book is more like an historical novel, a cross between Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, filled with murder, mayhem, an elderly clergyman trying to defraud an innocent young heiress, who is jilted by a young gambling wastrel, out of her inheritance and claim her as his own bride, a military officer with a scandalous secret, a secret love child and rival underworld characters. The plot twists and turns will keep you guessing to the last page!
This novel is the second one that I have read by Erika Rummel. Her books deal with strong female characters in historical settings, some in the not too distant past. I will definitely be looking out for her next one!… (mehr)

If you love your historical fiction to have a cast of quirky characters, this book is definitely for you! 16 year old Mona comes from a dysfunctional family and detests her single mother, who drinks too much and has a string of boyfriends. When her mother wants to send her as an au pair to a wealthy female acquaintance, Liliana Gutierrez, in Argentina, Mona reluctantly agrees. Maybe her decision wasn't so bad after all, when Mona cons a new expensive designer dress. Liliana, who works for Evita Peron, wife of the President of Argentina, is having an affair with Evita's brother, Juan. After meeting Evita, Mona falls under her spell. When Evita tries to use the young Mona as a distraction for her brother, Mona becomes entangled in Juan's seedy affairs and later in the plot to hide Evita's jewels and money in a Swiss bank account.
Mona is definitely a character unto herself, a jaded 16 year old grifter going on 46 or more! This book is a coming of age story for her. What a way to learn about life and finding your sexual orientation! Most of the other characters set such a bad example, her mother and Juan to name just two. And then there's the tragic figure of Evita Peron, who came from a similar poor background and became the First Lady of Argentina, adored by her people, who considered her a saint, just to lose her life at an early age to cancer. After reading this book, I definitely want to learn more about Eva Peron and Argentina's history and culture.… (mehr)

The Inquisitor’s Niece takes place in a dark time in Spain’s history – that period when the Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism were still hunted and spied upon. No matter what they did they were not trusted. In this case Alonso is a converted Jew and he is a doctor. He learns his father has fallen under investigation by the Inquisition and he needs to go and see what he can do because part of the punishment extends to the family and Alonso could lose his profession. He learns of the investigation from a Franciscan priest named Natale who purports to be his friend but is he?

Luisa and Alonso are in love but there is much to keep them apart – she is married for one thing. It was a forced marriage but it still does present a slight problem. There is also the mild air of suspicion that always hangs over Alonso no matter what he says or does. And always the “help” from Natale but that comes at a cost. Sometimes that cost is more than the material. The worst of the church is represented here to be sure.

This was a book that grabbed me from the start. It’s a period in history that offered much to the world but also had some of man’s darkest moments. Due to that it does provide rich material for a novelist and Ms. Rummel does an excellent job of taking her reader on a dangerous journey through the twists and turns of what many faced during the time. The characters are well developed and defined. The scenes are well described and I found myself feeling like I was actually walking the streets with the characters of the book.

This is a good read with twists along the way that keep the reader engaged and involved.… (mehr)