This is a modern love story with the feel of a regency romance. If a non-romantic like me loved this book so much, I can't imagine what Romance readers will think. But I had to have a breather before starting it just to calm down! I am now reading Dan Brown's new one: Inferno. I have concluded that Helena Fairfax is a bit like Maeve Binchy, but with pace. The Silk Romance was effortless to read, flowed smoothly and it swept me along with it. So often, I find prose stilted and grammatical gymnastics or jarring anachromism prevent me from losing myself in the tale.

The second main reason was that the book was so well written. I could picture them all not only the protagonists (Sophie and Jean-Luc), but the minor charaters too: Jack the brother, Marco the gay friend, Marthe the housekeeper - I became fond of them all. On reflection, I think the first main reason I liked the book so much were that the characters were so well drawn that they became real to me. I sort of knew it would work out between them in the end, but I couldn't work out how until near the end of the novel how they could ever manage it as so many obstacles were thrown in their path at such a pace I was audibly gasping by Chapter Ten. It just about 2 people I grew to care about - I didn't expect it, but I did. The blurb about the book sets out a plot about a French racing driver, who retired young, and an English student getting it together. It has driven thoughts of work from my mind, taken me on a whirlwind journey leaving me breathless, lifted my spirits no end and left me wanting more. These all proved to be the right reasons to read The Silk Romance. And it is written by Helena Fairfax - I have met her a couple of times and she is the sort of person whom you leave wanting to see more of. It is set in Lyon, one of my favourite cities. Well, I have had a few stressful weeks at work and this is a holiday weekend. I am not a romantic and I don't normally read romantic novels, but I loved The Silk Romance anyway.

The Silk Romance by Helena Fairfax