Trail of the Tudor Blue by Gwen Roman (Jewel of the Night #1)
Romantic Suspense
January 24, 2011
E-Book
Wild Rose Press

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I’m not going to stand around and be lectured about my past, my family, and my options for the future by some guy who’s got his morality in such a twist he can’t even admit what he does for a living.”

Art restorer Ardis Bellamy thought recovering an historic necklace from the South of France would be a piece of cake. Until she is double crossed and finds herself on the run from those who will do anything to recover the necklace for themselves.

Now Ardis will have to learn who she can and cannot trust as she navigates through the seedy underbelly of the South of France’s criminal element; racing to find the necklace before someone finds her.

Ardis Bellamy is a play by the book art restorer who was gifted a valuable historic necklace after her aunt dies. Unfortunately the necklace is stolen and Ardis must recover it in time for an important museum event. Clues lead Ardis to the south of France and deals are made for the recovery. But Ardis is double crossed and finds herself knocked out; only to awake to James Tate questioning her. Tate is a “recovery agent:” or so he says. He claims the man who double crossed her owes him money and he is willing to work with her so they may both recover what is owed to them.

Ardis doesn’t trust Tate but knows his contacts can only benefit her so she agrees. As Ardis and Tate get closer to the necklace, secrets and conspiracies are revealed that leaves them both wondering if they can really trust each other.

Trail of the Tudor Blue is my first read by Gwen Roman. A lush romantic suspense set in the exotic local of the south of France; we follow Ardis Bellamy and James Tate as they pursue a necklace Ardis has been charged to locate and bring back to the states. Fascinating world building combined with dangerous characters, and action packed scenes makes this story an exciting adventure you won’t want to put down.

Even though the story isn’t all that long, the fact pacing and smooth writing gives us a full bodied storyline with just enough sub plots to hook you up nice and tight.

Ardis Bellamy, our heroine, is a feisty, intelligent, and sexy woman who uses her brains and courage to navigate a world she doesn’t know. Told from her POV, we twist and turn through the mystery right along with her. At first I couldn’t understand why a normally unadventurous woman would think she could attempt something of this magnitude, but Ms. Roman explains that through Ardis’s back story and it all becomes very clear.

James Tate is a bona fide bad boy. Sexy and dangerous; Tate appears right from the beginning and always seems to be around when Ardis is in trouble. Ardis knows there are things he’s not telling her and lack of trust is an issue on both sides. Tate’s motives are questionable through the entire book and you only discover the who and what as Ardis does. I’ll be honest, at the end I was still not convinced Tate was being completely on the up and up and I liked that.

The chemistry between Ardis and Tate is apparent from their first meeting. But Ardis isn’t the type to jump straight into a relationship with just any pretty face. I liked that. Too often the heroine falls head over heels all the while lamenting they don’t know if they can trust the hero. It takes a lot for Ardis to trust Tate and vice versa. In one instance she admits that she is attracted to him but this is neither the time nor the place.

Ms. Roman doesn’t make the romance prominent to the storyline. Rather, it’s threads softly through out the storyline, enhancing without overpowering.

Interesting secondary characters are positioned through out the book that add to the danger and intrigue of the storyline. We see some from Ardis’s and Tate’s past that has me hoping we will see more of them in future installments.

Our villain(s) is a piece of work.Their reasoning is realistic though some of their dialogue did make me laugh. I have to admit, the good guys scared me more than they did. I did think it all resolved itself quicker then I would have liked and one seemed to get off scot free. The best part of the ending for me was Ardis standing up for herself and letting everyone know under no uncertain terms that she wasn’t someone to mess with anymore.

All in all, Gwen Roman’s debut novel, Trail of the Tudor Blue, is an action packed suspense filled with enough exciting mystery, intrigue, and romance that more than carries it’s own.

Rating: B+

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