Recommend-A-Book-Wednesday

It's Recommend A Book Wednesday and this time I want to turn your attention to Douglas Carlton Abram's The Lost Diary Of Don Juan. This book is a historical adventure story first and a love story second and that's not a bad thing.  Long before the infamous lover of women, Don Juan, falls in love for the first time with the beautiful and forbidden Doña Ana the action and the rich period detail keeps the story alive and entertaining.  The novel is set during the Spanish Inquisition and Don Juan has made some powerful enemies.  Abrams is quite skilled at making the reader see this dangerous and decadent world through the eyes of his protagonist and he skillfully taps into the sense of ever present danger that exists for everyone and anyone who might not be willing to submit wholeheartedly to the corrupt inquisitors demands and doctrine. 

The interesting thing about this version of Don Juan is that he actually seems to respect women, a lot.  True, he is not in love with any of the beauties he encounters before Doña Ana who is unwilling betrothed to the Marquis (a man who has the power to protect Don Juan from or sacrifice him to the inquisitors) but he does genuinely love and admire women as a group.  It's really not just lust.  As a result even the most casual sex scenes have an unexpected romance to them.  Abrams should also be commended for being able to give Don Juan this gentle outlook without making him seem too soft or in any way emasculating him.  I realize that being respectful of a lover shouldn't emasculate a character and yet it's surprising how few authors are able to write believable male characters who are both high minded and sexy.  Furthermore the female characters in this novel are all very strong and intelligent. There's not a weepy and weak stereotypical damsel in distress in the bunch.

And all this is wrapped up in a well paced plot and a satisfying story.  The villains are wonderfully villainous (although the well-rendered historical context keeps them from being cartoonish in any way) and the heroes are both smart and engaging.   So next time you're in the mood for an adventure check it out.

Or if you're a guy who just wants to be a little more Don Juanesque you could check out Abrams nonfiction books, The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know and The Multi-Orgasmic Couple: Sexual Secrets Every Couple Should Know.  I haven't read either of those but I think the titles pretty much speak for themselves.  So by all means, read up and have fun...hopefully a lot of fun several times over.

Kyra Davis
Bestselling Author of:
The Sophie Katz Mystery Series
and
So Much For My Happy Ending
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