Society Author Reviews


Portrait of a Lover
Julianne MacLean
ISBN-10#0060819359
AVON, Feb 2006, 384 pp
Historical Romance-Victorian
$6.99 (US) $9.99 (CDN)

Reviewed by Laurel
November 2005

13 years ago….

Annabelle Lawson was with her aunt on the train they were headed out of London and returning back to their country home. In the car entered a good-looking man with his elderly mother that stole Annabelle’s breath away. When the older companions nodded off to sleep Annabelle engaged this man in conversation learning his name was John Edwards. Instantly smitten with each other they carried on an animated conversation and made plans to meet. Every Sunday they would meet by the lake near Annabelle’s home and John would teach Annabelle to fish and she would paint him enjoying each others company and falling in love. As the summer drew to a close John knew he must end this love affair he was having. He was deceiving Annabelle and he loved her dearly. He was hiding his true identity he is really Magnus Wallis her cousin, considered an enemy of the family. He wishes he did not have to break her heart, but he tells her in the most cruellest of terms that he was using her to one up her brother Whitby in their long standing feud. Heartbroken and devastated Annabelle cries her misery out and paints trying to forget the love she has for this man who hurt and betrayed her so.

Present Day…

Annabelle stares at the letter from Magnus barely able to comprehend that Magnus is back in London and requesting a meeting with her. She is in shock, torn and does not know what to do. She still loves Magnus he was her true love and has never married. She carries all her hurt and anger inside of her close to heart to remind her that she is a fool and an easy one at that to be easily caught up in a long-standing feud between cousins. She loves her lifestyle now, living still with her brother Whitby and wife Lily and their five children, painting away forgetting that she is capable of moving on and being happy. She silently resolves that she will meet Magnus and see what he wants from her. Guarded and untrusting of him Annabelle meets him and it was just like 13 years ago when all those powerful emotions of love cropped up forcing Annabelle to really decide does she want to be happy in life or does she want to carry on with her life now just existing?

Marcus Wallis is now a successful businessman, he took the money that Whitby offered him 8 years ago and settled himself in America where he became a realtor fixing up properties and selling them for profit. He also opened up Art Galleries and calls them a labour of love. Business called him back to London and he hopes that during this time he can put some lies to rest and begs forgiveness. He feels like a heel for lying to Annabelle about his motives 13 years ago but he knew he was not acceptable to her family. He still loves Annabelle deeply and with a firm resolve has decided he is not leaving London without her. When he first sees her he is simply stunned at how beautiful she is and how much love he has for her bottled up inside. In a battle to prove himself to her, Magnus attempts to pacify the past and tells her he loves her, keeps his distance and hopes his silent seduction will win her over. Will these two be able to put the past behind them and move on; only the pages inside the novel will tell you.

A Portrait Of A Lover is a wonderful novel proving that true love conquers all. Magnus is a character that you are just intrigued with and how was Julianne MacLean going to redeem him. Everything you know of Magnus in previous novels will tell you he is an evil man and jealous of the wealth Whitby has from a family that tossed Magnus and his family aside years ago. Instead he is a man carrying around years of guilt for hurting Annabelle. He is in love with her and will do anything to prove himself to her. She is leery of his motives and rightfully so. But the one thing these two cannot change is the passion and love they have for each other and how their love should never have been denied.

Julianne MacLean did a wonderful job of weaving the past and present into this novel, giving the reader a secret look through Annabelle’s eyes into their love and passion. Telling it the way she did I could feel the love, the passion and the ultimate hurt that had me weeping as I read through these pages. I was not sure who I was crying for Magnus because of his pain and plan to set her free, or the absolute look of horror on Annabelle’s face as he was breaking her heart. They carried on with their lives the best they could but never forgot each other or what could’ve been. The characters are complex their story is endearing and Julianne has certainly outdone herself with Portrait of A Lover, it’s timeless, it’s classic and a novel every reader must read.