A Shadow's Bliss

Veryan's fluid prose and skill at plot development again distinguish this fourth volume in the Tales of the Jewelled Men series, set in Georgian England. Washed ashore in the South of England, Jonathan awakens with amnesia except for the memory of a deed for which he must do lifelong penance. Though it's obvious from his speech and demeanor that he is an educated man, he is called Crazy Jack by most of the residents of the Cornwall village and is scorned and beaten by its unemployed miners. Only a few people befriend him: Widow Newlyn, a suspected witch, one-handed Noah Holsworth, who gives him work, and Jennifer Britewell, the the local schoolteacher (and daughter of the local patrician landowner). Jonathan secretly loves Jennifer, who is being harassed by Lord Hibbard Green, a hateful man who seeks her hand in marriage because he covets the Blue Rose Tin Mine on her father's property. As Jonathan's protection helps Jennifer rebuff Green and her growing attraction to him helps Jonathan slowly recover his memory, the two find themselves caught up with the League of Jewelled Men, who have been accused of a treasonable conspiracy against the British government. Veryan's attention to historical details enlivens a colorful romantic tale. (Apr.)