A Memory Not Mine (Sanguis Amantium)

I knew a little of what to expect from A Memory Not Mine when I picked it up. Romance (with its various beats and the little surprises that could be hidden within those), Scotland (and, presumably, an archetypical Scottish romantic lead to fall for our protagonist), and at least a hint of the uncanny. Mira Garvie not only has visions but also finds an old portrait of a woman who looks uncannily like her.

The book delivers, on all those counts.

The most important part about the book is that it’s a lot of fun to read. I started mildly intrigued, but the plot soon had me fascinated. I was eager to see where it would go and how the mysteries of Mira and Baird Campbell (her green-eyed Scotsman) and their intertwined lives would shake out. The story is intriguing and richly told, and the sex scenes are hot without becoming over-the-top ridiculousness.

The weak point for me was the characters. This is definitely more of a plot-driven book than a character-driven one. For readers who love engaging plots and paranormal mysteries, that’s definitely a plus! Byron delivers on those aspects in spades. For readers who prefer characters that leap off the page, this book may leave them wanting. Mira and Baird serve the plot well, but if I were asked to describe them after reading, I would have trouble coming up with specific character traits beyond those they use to describe each other.

This shows up the most with Bastien, a shadowy figure connected to both their pasts, and to the ending of his part of the story. While he is not wholly the villain he might have been in the hands of another writer, his appearance also winds up being rather anticlimactic, especially with how much space is left in the book after he makes his appearance. Despite the weight he has in the background of the story, he feels at times more like an interruption than a true antagonist.

That will only be a deterrent for those who like a strong focus on external problems in a romance. For those who prefer a focus on the central characters – and especially on the various types of tension between them – A Memory Not Mine will be an enchanting read. (And it has an enticing hook at the end of the story, one which left me eager for the sequel!)