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Book Review	Mary Becelia
UNTAMED By Hope Tarr I'm not a romance novel reader, really, I'm not. Except, it appears, when I find a title from Hope Tarr in my hands. Most recently, I read Untamed, the final installment in her "Men of Roxbury" trilogy, and found myself eagerly devouring every page, all the way to the expected happy ending. Man meets woman, obstacles occur, the flame of passion is ignited but then dimmed due to more obstacles and/or misunderstandings, coming together finally occurs (in more ways than one), marred by yet more problems then, finally, all is resolved and the two protagonists stand united, happy future in front of them. That is about the standard romance formula, and Untamed stuck pretty faithfully to it. What, then, did I find so captivating about this book? First, maybe the fact that I know Hope a little bit and, having met her (ok, once -- we had coffee last spring at Hyperion, and then visited the Farmer's Market on Prince Edward Street), and read her web page (www.hopetarr.com), I feel a small connection to this author who, up until a few months ago, lived right here in Fredericksburg. But, my best friend might write a book and if it were not compelling, I'd be hard pressed to wade through it. That's just how it is when you work part time, write part time and care for two children under age five, full time! It's got to be good, or I won't make it past the first chapter or two. Untamed kept my interest, right from the start. What I liked best about this novel was the period detail (Victorian England is recreated in a very realistic manner), the characters, and the animals. As for the latter two, Hope, who is devoted to feline rescue in real life, works a touching equine rescue into this story. And her human characters, Kate and Rourke, act and speak like real people and their difficulties and desires are easy to relate to. Readers who have already enjoyed the first two novels in the installment will appreciate how the concluding book brings all three pairs of married lovers together, and provides an update on their stories. Hint -- the stork is about to visit one of the happy couples! Those who have not read the other books will be needn't fear, however, the novel works as a stand-alone as well. However, lest the glowing review above lead some of you to think that I've been overly bedazzled by the glory of love, let me note that Untamed could have benefited from a sharper eye in the editing department. Rourke is described twice as "purely magnificently beautiful" -- rather an awkward phrase even for one use! -- and the exact same two sentences, describing an encounter Rourke has with a past mistress, are repeated on pages 321 and 349. So, no, the book is not perfect. But then again, perfection is rarely found on either the written page or in real life. Now I'm back to my usual fare of mommy-lit, mixed with an autobiography or two and, of course, the usual dose of Dr. Seuss and Beverly Cleary. But come July, and the publication of Hope's next offering, Bound to Please, set in medieval Scotland, I just might indulge in a summer romance. Mary Becelia lives imperfectly happy as a mother of two and a wife of one in Falmouth.
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