Amethyst

Author: Lauren Royal
Published: February 1, 2000 (Signet)
Category: Historical Romance
Series: Jewel Trilogy #1
Quote of choice: "Men can be so stupid sometimes. Are you sure you want to marry this one?"
Rating: 10/10

I literally could not put this book down! I grabbed it off my bookshelf at home before leaving for work on Friday morning and finished it in the wee hours that same day (probably counted as Saturday morning though). This book had everything I like in a romance novel!

In this impressive debut novel, we meet the Chase family of the Restoration period. The eldest is Jason, Marquess of Cainewood (we meet his descendants in Royal's "Sweet Temptations" trilogy), then Colin, Earl of Greystone, and then the twins, Kendra and Ford. I've already read Kendra's story in Amber and it was good, but certain parts of the plot annoyed me too much to fully enjoy the story. Each of the Chases has his/her story told in a novel, but Ford was left to the end and wound up in the "Flower" trilogy instead.

Colin's title was bestowed as a reward for faithful services to King Charles and along with the title came Greystone, an estate in serious disrepair. To restore the property, Colin is engaged to Lady Priscilla Hobbs, or as Kendra quips, "Lady Priscilla Snobs." Clearly, the rest of the Chase siblings are not fond of Colin's choice, but he had sound logic in choosing an heiress with a title and all the right connections. Everything an earl should want for a wife, right? Perhaps not.

Amethyst Goldsmith (Amy to her friends) is the daughter of a prominent jeweler in London. She has a natural talent for her craft and her parents have (against the times), trained her and encouraged her skills, and their nurturing shows in her beautiful pieces and the frequent commissions she gets from their customers. Amy has also been betrothed to the shop's apprentice, Robert, although she has no feelings for him, especially since he's made it clear that no wife of his will work. His attitude is understandable for the time period, but he's also jealous of Amy because she's better at jewelry making than he is. Amy tries to bring this up with her father and express her distaste at the idea of marrying Robert, but her father, lost in his grief over his recently deceased wife, says that Amy must marry and carry on their family's trade, saying that Robert only says those things about Amy being forbidden to work because he's feeling impotent (heh!) as an apprentice.

Colin and Kendra visit the Goldsmiths' jewelry shop to buy her a birthday locket, and they choose one of Amy's design, as well as commission Colin's signet ring with Amy, making Robert jealous yet again. After the signet ring is delivered, Amy and Colin don't see each other for a few months, when the great fire of 1666 devastates London. The fire is visible from Greystone, and the Chase brothers race to London to provide what help they can. Colin rescues a dozen children and comes across Amy, dragging a heavy trunk, and rescues her from certain death when she tries to go back into her house to save her father. In a sort of suspension of ordinary social rules, Colin takes Amy with him to Cainewood, along with the children.

The two are attracted to each other, but each is aware that they have obligations. Colin needs an heiress with a title and Amy promised her father she'd keep their jewelry business alive. However, those doubts aren't strong enough to keep the two from stealing kisses, and to Colin's chagrin, their first night on the road back to Cainewood provides them with one inn room with two beds for a dozen children and two adults.

The book is long, and we follow Colin and Amy as they fall in love despite their rules and objections. Colin even gives Amy up in London when his family arrives, telling them to put her on a ship to France so she can join her aunt. I was a bit upset that Colin didn't want to marry her at that point because he found out about her inheritance, a huge stash of jewels and gold in the trunk she was dragging along during the fire. However, he understands that the gold is in her family for the business, and he wouldn't ask her to give it up to save Greystone. He's already spent part of Priscilla's dowry on repairs. I kept thinking that it would be awfully simple to propose to Amy and use some of the gold to pay back the money spent, but Colin's sense of honor is highly developed (to the point of being stubborn).

Soon after that, Amy's ex-fiancé shows up and attempts to convince her to marry him. She refused and Kendra had to punch the jerk so they could escape, but Robert kidnaps Amy in the middle of the night, intending to marry her in a church outside the city walls. In two particular churches, an impromptu marriage ceremony can take place without a license or consent from the bride, for the right price. Robert really wants Amy for her inheritance, and to control her as he was never able to do when he was an apprentice.

Of course, Colin rescues her and marries her that same day. Amy enjoys being welcomed to the boisterous Chase family. Hell, after reading this book, I wanted to be a member of the Chase family. The siblings have this amazing banter and camaraderie, and are fiercely protective of one another, even if someone hasn't married into the family yet. From the get-go, Colin's siblings voiced their opinion that he should marry Amy instead of Lady Snobs. Amy, the exact opposite of Lady Snobs, loves Greystone and uses some of her inheritance to restore the estate, bringing it to profitable status and ridding Colin of his debt to Lord Hobbs. Snobs refused to marry Colin until Greystone was fit for her luxurious style of living, and also hated his practical jokes. Amy heartily accepted Colin's jokes and laughed along, even pulling pranks on the so-called prank master. They were a lovely couple to read about and I look forward to their cameo appearances in later novels.

One of the best features of this book is the length of the timeline. The story doesn't just end at their marriage; we get to witness the birth of their first child and see a glimpse into their future six years from then. I loved this book, with its strong sense of family, from start to finish and it's a keeper, which means something to a girl with a small apartment and one bookcase.