Customer Reviews

Renaissance Man

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Reviewer: Rebecca Kona
Renaissance Man is my personal favorite among JAK's Desire books. It's packed with snappy dialogue, detailed descriptions, lots of manipulating, more than enough sensual tension and a mysterious theft. Who could ask for more? RM is a superb example of JAK's ability to write a story within a story and impart a variety of interesting informational tidbits.

Alina Corey, a rare book dealer so caught up in the Renaissance era, envisions herself as a modern day Battista. Battista, a professional renaissance courtesan who ran "literary salons" that charged admission. Alina refashioned herself as a modern day Battista after she finds her husband the professor giving more than just scholarly advice to one of his female graduate students. Alina vows no more marriage and is just out to be friends with the males who enter her gatherings. After all she still enjoys social interactions and mild flirting but all under her control with no admission fees or hanky-panky.

Enter renaissance scholar Jared Troy who is the defender of Francesco the "condottieri" embroiled with Battista in a literary footnote . Jared is the Renaissance man, a modern day ex-wall-street tycoon who can now afford to turn his interest full time to the study of Renaissance era's military (condottieri), intrigues and business structure. Jared has been embroiled with Alina in an exchange of fiery letters defending his renaissance article published in a remote journal.

Needless to say that after three months of letter writing when Jared shows up on Alina doorstep she unwittingly invites him to join her little gathering. Jared makes it well known to Alina that she more than meets all his expectations and to consider herself as claimed. Of course Alina states she has no interest in being claimed or for that matter even starting a real relationship. But Jared informs her, "Well, I shall just have to make you take some sort of interest then, won't I? I meant what I said, . . . You've been seducing me with your passionate, intriguing letters for over three months. I knew sooner or later, I would have to come and find you. The coup you pulled off . . . I had to come and see for myself if the real woman was anything like I imagined her from the evidence of her correspondence." What is the coup you ask? Well let's just say it provides the fabric for this plot and the solving of a subsequent theft.

The sensual tension rapidly develops and by the second meeting we are treated to the consummation scene which is all anyone would hope for (I keep trying to get the dh to read these six pages but no luck yet, big sigh). Remember we're in the 80s here and things happened fast or so they say, besides which the Desire line only gave an author 200 or so pages to get it done.

Common themes to look for are the mini history lessons on the Renaissance throughout this book, a peek into a specialty interest field - rare book collecting (no BSJ), solitary characters with very centered worlds, and commitment tempered with honor and loyalty. What we've all come to expect and appreciate from JAK's writing.

This novel of all JAK's Desires series is the one I'm drawn to time and again for a reread. No complaints at all, by all means find it for a great read. It's bound to become a favored keeper.

This tape is the abridged version of a serial romance novel published in 1981, and re-issued more recently to capitalize on the Jayne Anne Krentz' more recent popularity. Fans of Krentz can find these reprints helpful; most of her earlier work, especially that published under the Stephanie James, can be difficult to come by.

[...] In many ways, reading RENAISSANCE MAN feels like reading an abridged novel already, with certain aspects of the story seeming severely underdeveloped.

Set in California, Alina Corey and Jared Troy haven't met, but they have engaged in a bitter battle over the unknown historical fate of a particular Italian courtesan and the wealthy mercenary who once bypassed her defenses, romanced her, and then disappeared. Thinking she has found the location of a document that could settle the matter, Alina uses Jared's name to acquire copies of the document. Tipped off to the scam, Jared Troy confronts the heroine, and, in true Krentz fashion, sparks fly immediately.

The gist of the novel lies in the way Alina has patterned her personal life after her historical ideal, populating her world with intelligent men kept at arms length. Likewise, Jared is a modern-day merchant-"warrior" -- his business acumen is so finely attuned that he has a computer installed in his home office just for tracking market conditions! In fact, Jared has noticed the similarities in the relationship between him and Alina and that of the renaissance-era lovers. He points it out to Alina, but not after Krentz has explicitly pointed them out to the reader, several times.

There is an extremely perfunctory suspense element, reduced further by the presence of only one likely villain. The romance develops roughly, largely because Krentz fails to adequately explain why Alina would disregard Jared's frequently obnoxious behavior. Furthermore, there is precious little of the dialogue that Krentz would become known for.

The story is not without some sly tricks, though. The fate of the renaissance lover's is left to the reader's imagination -- a potentially ambiguous ending that I'm not sure would make it into print, today. Ultimately, the lack of character depth is the real disappointment here. Jared is a businessman with a passion for history, and that is as complex as he gets.

Krentz fans should still try to check out these early books, because they provide an interesting view on her developing obsessions over the intersections of commerce and art, why still showcasing her dramatic sense of passion.