Very good story!

The Prologue begins with Miss O'Connor answering the phone. Professor Howard had read "The Silver Sword" & was impressed! Her research project on piebaldism had grown into a major undertaking! The professor felt that since she was one of Cahira's descendants, the stories of Anika of Prague &^ Aidan O'Connor would effect her life. The professor mentioned that Taylor Morgan, his assistant, had also read her work & would join them for lunch. He was sure he would never forget what she looked like!

She got to the coffee shop a few minutes late to meet the professor & Taylor Morgan. She was attracted to him, but concentrated on the professor. The professor wanted to know what she planned to do about her part of the linage. She felt that she was a chronicler. While the men ordered their food, she went over her outline. Aidan O'Connor lived in the middle of the Pacific, in the city of Batavia, which was like most large cities. Aidan lived in the lower class section of town, but Schuyler Van Dyck found her.

The story begins July 22, 1642, Aidan O'Connor was looking at the scenery in the distance. Nearby a ship had come into the harbor, and soon the crew would come ashore. Someone would soon come for her & she's have to return to helping at the tavern. A coach with several people aboard caught her eye, when Orabel called for her. One of the people in the carriage was Schuylar Van Dyck, an artist, who Orabel thought she should make his acquaintance. Aidan was skeptical that he would do anything for her. Orabel figured if Aidan was married, she could be the artist she wanted to be. Lili came after them to help with the work. Aidan thought that her trying to meet Heer Van Dyck was absurd.

As soon as Orabel & Aidan returned to the tavern, they were put to work serving drinks. Lili put off one of the sailors. But arranged for one of the other women to drink with him. Lili instructed Annie to talk to a sailor from Ireland. Aidan hated living like this, but it was the best she could hope for. Bram was calling Lili. She was as in control of her life as much as any woman. ( )

This story held me in thrall from the first page, only my eyelids refusing to stay up stopped me from finishing it yesterday. Grabbed it and finished before I even got out of bed this morning. What a great read! While I'm thankful to live in an era (and country)of freedom and equality for women the thrill of Aiden's adventures makes me long for a different time. Well minus lice, hideous disease, and being utterly powerless ... ( )

This story starts out with Kathleen O'Connor, in the present day researching her ancestor. She has inherited the trademark of her ancesters, a white swath of hair streaked through her bright auburn hair. Kathleen is researching her ancestors and finds that her descendents were very strong women who fought for what was right for women. Kathleen has to search within journals and papers to find out how these women impact her own future.

It is 1642 and Aidan O'Connor lives in poverty in the Dutch colony Java, Indonesia and has to survive being a pickpocket in a drinking establishment where her mother is a procuress for the sailors that come to find food, drink and women after a long sea voyage. Aidan is a very talented artist but untrained. She meets an elderly cartographer, Mr.Van Dyke,who encourages her talent and takes Aidan ,disquised as a boy, to sea to paint flora and fauna that they will encounter in this expeditious voyage. Their journey is fraught with danger from the sea and from enemies of Aidan, family of the cartographer,who think that Aidan is after their inheritance. There is also the chance of discovery that she is a she and not a he. One of the characters, a physician, Sterling Thorne, who is onboard as the ships surgeon sees through her disguise and Aidan fears that her past will catch up with her and ruin any chance of her becoming a wellknown artist and losing the man she loves. In this story, other famous people are portrayed, like Governor Van Diemen and Abel Tasman. This was the first expedition that Abel Tasman had and the place that was called Van Diemen's Land is now called Tasmania.

My thoughts on this book:

I enjoyed this novel, I found it to be well written and I liked how the characters were portrayed especially Aidan as very strong willed women who knew what she wanted to do in her life and fought to get it. The story was well researched and was easy to read.The only problem I had was that this is book #2 in the series and as I had not read #1,some things didn't make sense.I will definitely read more of this author. I highly recommend it. ( )