reviewed by
LOLA SPARKS
There's little I like better than a romance novel that is also an adventure (unless it's a fantasy novel that is also an adventure with some romance mixed in). The Book of True Desires is such a novel. Combining romance, adventure, and fantasy, Krahn offers up a treat.
Cordelia O'Keefe is an explorer. She loves to poke around musty spaces or steamy jungles, and loves it even more when the men of her time are shocked by her trouser-wearing self. She makes a deal with her tycoon of a grandfather, Sam Blackburn, that if she can learn the mystery of the Mayan's Gift of the Jaguar, he'll fund a trip for her to find King Solomon's mines.
Naturally, Blackburn isn't going to trust Cordelia to go on her own. He sends his butler along. Hartford Goodnight isn't much for the customer service kind of life, he'd rather be practicing medicine or playing with a chemistry set. But, he's indentured to Blackburn, and will be until his debt is paid. He makes a bargain to pay off his debt while accompanying Cordelia; if he can find a cure for Blackburn's gout, all will be settled.
With a bevy of minor characters, Cordelia and Hartford cross the Caribbean and dive into Mexico, where the dangers of the jungle await them. Indeed, so do another band of folks who want the Gift of the Jaguar for themselves. But treasure means something different to everyone, and what is gold for one person, is not to another.
Cordelia and Hartford fall in love along the way, with handfuls of humor and danger accompanying them. Krahn balances their personalities well, and allows Hartford a journal in which to keep track of the journey's expenses in addition to how he feels about Cordelia. It's nice to have this insight along the way. (I suspect this is the book the title mentions.)
If one thing grates in this novel, it's Cordelia herself. She is painted as entirely too perfect for my liking. I'm not a fan of heroines who are too beautiful to be believed. Cordelia can do no wrong. She's been everywhere, she's done seemingly everything, she fights like a man, and is beautiful like no other woman on earth. If I could wish for one thing in this book, it would be to tone Cordelia down a notch, give her a few faults, which would make her more believable.
Still, hero Hartford and his snark make The Book of True Desires a fun romp. So do the butterflies.
