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Pages: 32
Goes Well With: Something deliciously old-fashioned—and wine for the toast
Lily Graves has a secret in author Kalliope Bell’s Amethyst Refrain. It’s a curious secret that she’s sure no one would believe—and one that really should keep her far away from the enticement of precious stones in antique shops. Enticement leads too easily to enchantment, she has found. And only the mysterious Edgar, plus a little training in psychometry, will save her. Then again, perhaps she’s not the only one who needs saving.
Kalliope Bell weaves character, history, and mystery together in this good-humored tale in a way that’s both enticing and enchanting. Hints of back story and memory tie Lily to past lives and to Edgar. Sweet sensuality creates a deep longing and tension between them. And dark forces bind past and present together to threaten their love.
The blend of modern-day danger with past horror is quickly intriguing. The action is logical and well-balanced, and the characters’ dialogue is smooth and sure and frequently humorous as Lily tries to keep Edgar from reading her mind. Paranormal power meets a very earthly threat, and love interrupted proves able to transcend time, space, and the inevitably inconvenient knock at the door, making for a very evocative but well-muted bedroom scene.
Amethyst Refrain is a pleasing short story, offering plenty of mysterious background while bringing chakras and astral projection to life, and even creating a genuine sense of sacrificial love—all in the space of just 32 pages. It’s a quick read that lingers in the mind, with real relationships, haunting guilt and forgiveness, and beautiful people. It left me wanting to watch the TV version, hoping that it might become a series—Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) crossed with Remington Steele, perhaps.
Ed. Note: For more on Amethyst Refrain, visit The Wild Rose Press.
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