Across the Blue

Turansky (Waiting for His Return) soars to new heights in this fun Edwardian inspirational romance. Bella is the eldest daughter of Charles Grayson, the owner of three successful British newspapers who recently purchased a sprawling estate outside of London. While Bella was presented to society two years prior, she has yet to find a suitable marriage prospect, and now that she lives on the isolated estate she has turned her focus to convincing her father that she is a competent enough journalist to write for his newspapers. After crash landing a rudimentary flying machine he’s been developing on the estate’s grounds, James Drake meets Bella and is enraptured. Raised by aviation pioneer Thaddeus Steed after his mother’s death, James dreams of becoming the first pilot to cross the English Channel, which he believes will allow him the entry into respectable society that has been denied him because of his unclear parentage. James ingratiates himself to the family, getting closer to Bella and seeking Grayson’s support to compete in the race across the channel that his newspapers are sponsoring with a cash prize. When disaster strikes after James crashes again, his relationship with Bella deepens and faith bonds are strengthened. Turansky lands a perfectly pious but passionate ending for this pleasing 19th-century romance. (Mar.)