I am pleased to welcome J. Arlene Culiner back to the blog this week with her new novel Felicity’s Power.
Background for Felicity’s Power
Don’t we all have a memory tucked away of someone we once loved, someone we just might have stayed with had the circumstances been right? And what would happen if we came face-to-face with that person today? Would the magic still be there? Would our hands tremble and our knees knock together as they did back then? Or would we just stare, appalled, wonder how we could have been so silly.
The idea of meeting a romantic ex was just intriguing enough to write about. Because my main characters are always over forty, I decided that my lovers would first meet in San Francisco in 1971. That was a time when idealists thought they could change the world, that the problems of pollution, poverty and over-population would be tackled, and unjust wars stopped.
My heroine, Felicity Powers, is strong, determined, and she always fights for what she believes in. My hero, Marek Sumner, a smart and steady romantic, knows how wonderful life will be with Felicity as his partner. But love doesn’t solve everything. Relationships require a certain amount of sacrifice, and compromise. Marek wants security, a family; Felicity wants adventure. So, their story ends.
Well, in a way it does… because, even after forty years of separation, Felicity has never forgotten Marek. She has spent her life as a foreign aid worker, has been in danger countless times, and done exactly what she set out to do. And she knows Marek was the love of her life.
What does Marek think all these years later? Sure he’s never forgotten Felicity. And when they meet up again in San Francisco it’s great to see her. She looks wonderful. And sexy. And exciting. But start over? After all these years? He’s too smart for all the turbulence and drama.
But that’s definitely not how Felicity sees things. And when they go to spend a few days on the coast, anything can happen.
The Story of Felicity’s Power
San Francisco, 1971: hippies in the streets, music and revolution in the air. The evening Marek Sumner opened his door to the wild-looking Felicity Powers, he knew nothing would ever be the same. But even love and passion couldn’t keep them together.
Forty-three years later, having lived in the world’s most dangerous places as an aid worker, Felicity is back, still offering love, passion, and adventure. Now a well-known author, Marek loves his calm life in an isolated farmhouse, and he knows their relationship would never work : he and Felicity are just too different. Besides, why risk having his heart broken a second time?
But Felicity is as fascinating and joyful as ever, and the wonderful sexy magic is still there too. Can love be more delightful the second time around?
Trailer for Felicity’s Power
Excerpt from Felicity’s Power
She didn’t even bother hiding her bold curiosity, or that she was observing, noting, judging. Well, let her judge him if she wanted. He didn’t have to justify himself, his life, or his taste.
“A simple student’s apartment, as you see,” said Marek, dryly, breaking the silence.
Her smile was amused as she turned to him, her gaze unwavering. “At least there’s nothing horrible.”
“Horrible?” He arched an eyebrow, attempting to meet her condescension with a sneer of his own. “Such as a corpse under the desk? A blood-stained hatchet? You must be disappointed.”
She laughed. It changed her entire face, transforming the almost severe, hawk-like features into something warmer, something infinitely touching. Her teeth were white, perfect; her smile was broad. Her head tilted back slightly on a long, elegant neck.
He was intensely aware that his fingers ached to reach out and touch her, pull her toward him, press her body against his, but he didn’t dare. Indeed, he hardly trusted himself to move lest she vanish.
“I should have said vulgar,” she corrected, still grinning. “That’s even worse.”
“A blood-stained hatchet sounds good?”
“Wait!” She held up one hand in delighted protest. “This has nothing to do with blood and hatchets and corpses. And the word tacky is even better than vulgar.”
“Tacky. I see. More or less… ”
“You know. Posters of bare feet glued onto the ceiling, drinking glasses with nude women, or ceramic cups that look like breasts.”
“I strike you as the kind of person who’d own stuff like that?” He forced himself to look offended.
“Looks can be deceiving. They usually are.”
What image did she have of him? “How about a deck of pornographic playing cards with bare-assed men wearing short black socks and shiny shoes? Is that tacky enough for you?”
“Right! That really is one hundred percent tacky.” She stopped, looked at him. “Don’t tell me you’ve got those!”
“Okay. I won’t.”
“No. Wait. I didn’t mean what I said. If you do have dirty playing cards, I want to know.”
Why did she want to know? “Tell me first if tacky is positive or negative.”
“Are you joking? I just want to see you implicate yourself before things get going.”
“Before what things get going?” A wild desire to laugh bubbled up inside of him.
For the first time, she seemed to lose a little bit of her bright assurance. Something flickered in her eyes. Her expression changed again.
“Mind if I take a seat?”
What J. Arlene Culiner’s Readers are Saying…
I have to admit I don’t normally read many ‘contemporary’ novels. My taste is mainly SF, fantasy and paranormal romance, but I also love suspense and, and there was plenty of that in this book, mainly concerned with whether these two bright souls, who seemed so perfect for each other, yet so different, would ever come together. When I do read a contemporary romance I can be pretty sure whether I’ll love it or hate it, from the first page, and in this case I definitely loved it! It gripped me from the start.
I liked both the characters, although I could have smacked them both on occasion, when neither of them seemed willing to compromise. However this was also their strength, and if they had capitulated early on they would have been different people and the story would not have been nearly so intriguing. The flashbacks were well done and not intrusive, and the story beautifully written. I was transported back to the early seventies, to songs about flowers in ones hair, and making love not war. A time when somehow the world seemed more innocent and hopeful.
J Arlene Culiner has a unique and poetic voice and I kept turning the pages anxious to find out where the story was going to lead me. I found it refreshing that although we first meet the characters when they are very young, the main story takes place over forty years later, when they are both in their sixties. They are reunited after a long separation, and their feelings for each other as just as intense. After all, why should love and passion be the prerogative of the young? I really enjoyed this story and was sorry when it ended – it left me satisfied but still wanting to read on, and that’s the highest compliment I can pay any book!
![A Room in Blake's Folly [Book 1 of Blake's Folly Romance]](https://i0.wp.com/www.madisonmichael.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-Room-in-Blakes-Folly-Cover.jpg?resize=125%2C188&ssl=1)
I am smitten with the romance novels of J. Arlene Culiner and this one is the best yet. It is a generational journey spanning from the 1800’s American West to 2022, filled with historical and informative references of the times and place. The sense of the “present” of each generation and the subsequent intermingling histories of the characters is poignant, however, ROMANCE is the heart of this great read. (Also, a mutual love of spiders had me hooked!) ![All About Charming Alice [Book 2 in Blake's Folly Romance]](https://i0.wp.com/www.madisonmichael.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/All-About-Charming-Alice-cover.jpg?resize=125%2C201&ssl=1)
This is a special book. I’ll explain why but first I want to say that I am not a writer nor could I ever be one. I respect and admire those who can write, especially books that leave an impact on me such as this one has. I enjoy reading and try to write honest reviews. I’ve been reading romance stories for thirty two years. I’ve read my share of series. It’s not often that I’m thrown for a loop like I was after reading “All About Charming Alice”. The reason I say all this is because the author, J. Arlene Culiner is truly brilliant in my opinion. Typically in a series an author develops a cast of characters and recycles them through out each book in the series, basically changing the hero and heroine and giving them their own story. Other authors often give previous leading characters a turn as a guest appearance throughout the series. Traditionally this makes readers enjoy a sense of community, a sense of family and home, especially when they’ve read the series in order. For those that read it out of sync, well, it can be a little challenging for a reader to connect with the characters but not impossible. In fact it’s highly doable in this novel. I imagine it’s challenging to write a series that can be read as a standalone yet, that is exactly what J. Arlene Culiner has perfected!
This is why All About Charming Alice is a special book. This series is not wrapped around the characters per se as much as it is focused on the location. The setting is in a deserted town called Blake’s Folly. The loop I referred to and that I was thrown by was, after I read book one, Desert Rose, I had expectations from past experiences how book two was going to be. There wasn’t a guest appearance by the leading characters from book one. In fact it’s as if it didn’t exist. At first I was disappointed that the characters are written in both books at around the same time period but then I realized that is the coolest idea in the whole world. That allows the books in the series to be truly read as a standalones yet be part of a series. It me took thirty two years to find a series like this. For me that sells the book right there. The unique writing style is ultimately why I’d recommend this book and series.
This is perhaps the longest review I’ve ever written but I have to share how the leading lady in All About Charming Alice was another highlight as to why this book should be read. I appreciate unique characteristics in heroines. Alice loves dogs and snakes. Yes, I said snakes. Trust me it’s hilarious.
The hero, Jace, was written as a perfect counterpart for Alice. I felt the chemistry and enjoyed his persistent positive attitude to win Alice’s heart.
The first few pages caught my interest and held it throughout the book as I steadily turned the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the ups and down as they worked out the logistics of their relationships.
I sincerely recommend this story and hope people won’t pass on it because the heroine is a herpetologist. It was a great book! Now, if it was a spider specialist, then that’s an automatic pass. Ha, ha.
Meet the Incredible J. Arlene Culiner
Writer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, in a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and weeds. Observing people in cafes, in their homes, on trains, or in the streets, she eavesdrops on all private conversations, and delights in hearing any nasty, funny, ridiculous, sad, romantic, or boastful story. And when she can’t uncover really salacious gossip, she makes it up.
Social Links
Author Website: http://www.j-arleneculiner.com
Blog: http://j-arleneculiner.over-blog.com
Author Links: https://linktr.ee/j.arleneculiner