After Innocence
Brenda Joyce
ISBN# 0-380-77572-7
Avon, 1994, 422 pages
Historical Romance, circa 1901
United Sates/Paris
$5.99 (US) $6.99 (CDN)
Selected By Laurel
December 2004
Let me introduce you to the world Sofie O'Neil and Edward Delanza. I first fell in love with them back in 1994, being the first romance novel I ever read. Many romance books later they continue to be my favorite couple of all time. Their story is full of steam, angst, misunderstandings, dark secrets, finally happiness and true love
Sofie O'Neil is a struggling artist. Suffering an injury to an ankle, it left her with a slight deformity and a bad limp. She lives with her mother Suzanne and half-sister Lisa. She is bohemian in nature, preferring her art to the social set of New York at the turn of the 20th century. When her mother throws a house party in the hopes of attracting a suitor for Lisa. Sofie grabs her sketchpad and heads down to the lake. There in amongst the bushes she catches sight of Edward Delanza. She is quite taken with him, hiding in the bushes she sketches away.
Edward Delanza is dark, roguishly sexy, has a come hither charm to him, and a passion that will not be denied. The last time we saw him in the book Secrets he took off for parts unknown, angry with his family. He appears in After Innocence, as a Diamond Smuggler. He prefers his lovers married or widowed, fewer complications that way. While in the midst of humouring one widow on a hillside, he catches sight of Sofie spying intently on him and makes eye contact. The rest they would say is history.
What ensues after the initial confrontation is passion and innocence colliding. Sofie is drawn to Edward in away she has never been drawn to a man before. He brings out a wild reckless passion within her that is really quite bold and overwhelming to her. She always kept that part of herself hidden away unseen by many. Recognising this renewed spark of defiance in her daughter, Suzanne is horrified that Edward has shown an interest in her daughter. She has always assumed that with her ankle, Sofie would not attract any man much less the attention of this one. Taking firm action against Edward she warns him off and away from Sofie. But Edward in his efforts of being Sofie’s friend does not heed the warnings or efforts to keep them separated and in true rebellious fashion, insinuates himself into her life, her art by posing for her.
To Edward, Sofie is a dream, a friend, and a confidante. One who makes him want to open up about himself and the scars of the past and what they mean for his future. She understands him like he understands her. Realizing that he is falling in love with her he is torn, should he walk away now, and save her heart? Or should he pursue her and hope to claim her for his own? A storm helps him decide when they are stranded at a B & B. Passions on both sides erupt letting down the walls that they have both built, surrounding them in love and tenderness. The morning after has serious ramifications for both sides. Edward wanting to do the honorable thing and proposes marriage to Sofie. Sofie turns him down, wanting love or no marriage at all and in this case she knows its only guilt that has fed this hasty proposal.
Wanting to escape Sofie takes off for Paris where her personality and strong will shines through, trying to forget Edward she makes new friends who help her through a very tough time in her life. Under the guidance of Monsieur Verault, her art is recognised and soon she has a contract to paint and have her work put on display.
Edward however is devastated; Sofie's mother adamantly refuses to tell him where she is. He goes on a terror, drinks a lot, gambles, and picks up lover after lover, missing Sofie. She had made him feel human, needed and he really admired her. When he finally learns where she is, he takes off to Paris where he is shocked at the change in his beloved Sofie, physically and emotionally.
This book will leave you breathless. It is action packed and angst filled. It’s Brenda Joyce at her best. Her characters always have some deep, hidden torment going on, and it takes time to unravel all the layers to her multi-faceted characters. Sofie is a woman after my own heart, even with her disability she showed great courage and a strong desire to succeed and shun society and what was acceptable back then. Edward was, and is, my true romance hero. He wound his way into my heart reading through the pages of this book, that I have yet, in 10 years, been able to find a romance hero to equal or rival him.
The side stories are just as gripping. We learn throughout the book why Suzanne is such a horrible person to her daughter, by seeing glimpses into her past when she was Sofie’s age and how she is only trying to protect her daughter from the man who is so like her father. Her sister, Lisa, runs away from her marriage proposal and party which sets it up nicely for the novella that came out shortly after picking up where AFTER INNOCENCE left off in regards to Lisa's story which can be found in either the A GIFT OF JOY or FIVE GOLDEN RINGS anthology novels.
If you have never read this book by Brenda you are missing out on a truly emotional story of shattered hearts and broken dreams and secret desires. I re-read it at least a couple of times a year. It is my favorite book by Brenda, but also my favorite book in the historical romance genre. It’s one that stands the test of time and leaves you, the reader, saying “wow”.