Never Say Never

The concluding volume of Powers Victorian-era American Beauties trilogy (after Never Again) opens with Bryce Falconer asking Augusta Gus VanderHorn to help him find his son, Ford. Gus has loved Bryce from afar, settling for his friendship. Bryce treasures Gus, but only now, as they embark on their journey to find Ford, does he finally realize that he loves her. However, English law forbids the marriage of two people within the first degree of kinship. Transcending this legal obstacle, and rescuing Ford from the licentious Colleen (Guss older sister and Bryces former wife), are the conflicts that drive this dramatic romance, allowing Power to showcase her ability to unobtrusively teach history as she entertains. Bryce is a wonderfully tortured and ethical hero who struggles with his desires and the need to do the right thing; Gus is almost too perfect to be true but provides a strong foil for Bryce. Powers formal writing may help transport readers to the past; some, however, will find her phrasing artificial. Nonetheless, her book is refreshing in its portrayal of Bryces overt goodness and in the flowering of Gus and Bryces friendship into love. (May)