what may or may not be hard reality

Today I took candy from a stranger.

And this morning I finished Secrets in the Stone by Radclyffe.

I really really liked this book. Not that I don't usually like Radclyffe's books, but this one was a little different than her usual novels, because it had an interesting hint of something supernatural. The story centers around Adrian, freelance journalist, house-sitting for her grandmother in a small town full of old rich people on the Hudson River. There she runs into Melinda Singer, gallery owner from NYC, in town to buy a rare scuplture, and Rooke, the sculptor. Passion and drama and haunting pasts ensue. Like they usually do in Radclyffe's novels.

However, even taking into account that star-crossed lovers are usually features in Rad's novels, it's not spoken in so many words. Here it's clear from the beginning that the three women are somehow connected. Which is interesting. Both Adrian and Rooke have a strange connection to Melinda, and a different one to each other. Adrian is a bit of a touch telepath, Rooke's stones speak to her, and the first thing that came to mind for Melinda was incubus (because I'd seen that Blood Ties episode). Then we met some of her friends, and I guess it's possible that they could be succubi, or vampires, or a number of other other-worldly creatures that deal in passion and power.

But none of this is obvious, or outspoken, but if I'm looking for the paranormal aspect, it's definitely there, which I really really like. I assume a lot of her readers might not be into that, so it makes a lot of sense that she leaves a lot to be interpreted.

So I really really liked it. It's well-paced, darkly passionate, interesting, and maintains an intense love-story at its center. Just my kind of book!

The only thing I sort of minded was that one of Adrian's friends was Jude, from, uh, Passion's Bright Fury? Perhaps. And she's showed up in a couple more books as well. And it's not that I mind that characters show up in different books, all of Rad's books are clearly set in the same 'verse, and it makes a lot of sense that they would run into each other, the lesbian community being rather small. I think that's an endearing and interesting aspect. However, all the other have (as far as I remember) been strictly about the laws of nature, and I don't much like crossovers between various universes when they have different laws. Because if there are incubi and telepathy in this 'verse, then it means that theoretically it could exist in the other books about Jude as well, which isn't something I'm keen on. And while I guess that's the idea, that the supernatural can be right among us without being noticed, that's not a world-view I embrace in my reading.

Also, I would have liked a bit more explanation at the end. Whatever happened between Ida and Grace way back when? What happened to Rooke's career? Etc etc.

But over-all. Really, really awesome!!