"The Spanish Pearl" by Catherine Friend

Review by Caroline Beattie
I'm wary of romance books, particularly historical ones. I can't get past poor language, obvious plot points, and little-researched settings. However, sometimes I really want a read that's light and fun. I don't finish books I'm not into, so my bookshelves are full of half-read novels that fit "light and fun" but fall short of satisfying my qualifications for good writing.

I'm happy to report that The Spanish Pearl by Catherine Friend was refreshingly well-written and enjoyable. 

Kate Vincent and her partner, Anna, travel to Spain to adopt a son. The morning of the adoption, Kate explores a nearby cave and ends up being transported to 1085, when Spain was overrun by fighting between Muslims and Christians. She falls in with the band of the legendary El Cid who take her to a nearby Moorish palace where she stays in the harem. Of course there's a love interest--the dashing Luis Navarro who isn't what he seems. The back of the book states this and it isn't that hard to figure out his secret, though you have to wait awhile for it to be revealed. Kate has to choose between going back to the modern day or staying in the past with Luis and all the perils of 11th century Spain.

There were a couple of obvious turns and the book could have used a good copy editor, but overall the writing was rich and painted a vivid portrait of the times. The things that I saw coming didn't detract from the reading--I didn't become impatient with Kate to figure out what I already knew, which too often happens with leading ladies in romance. Kate was overall likeable and relatable. She's a multidimensional character, sometimes damsel in distress but more often an independent woman finding her way in an unfamiliar world. The book isn't solely about her love affair with Luis but also her friendships with other women in the harem and the start of an independent painting business. Plus, the treatment of Luis' secret (once out to Kate) was brilliant.

I picked up the book because I've really been longing to go back to Spain. I was pleasantly shocked to find a novel about Moorish Spain--with lesbians in the leading roles, no less. I'm not an expert on the 11th century, but Friend appears to have done her research and this book really hit the spot.