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“A Mortal Glamour ”

written by Harriet Klausner on 18/02/2007

A Mortal Glamour

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Juno, Jan 2007, $12.95

ISBN: 0809557940



At the bidding of the Cardinal, Frere Odo delivers young Mere Leonie to replace the late saintly elderly Mere Jacinthe at la Tres Saunte Annunciacion to the shock of the nuns stationed there at a time when the plague, war, and a divided Papacy haunt the believers. Meanwhile noble born Seur Aungelique welcomes the newcomer as she hopes the youthful Mere will bring life to the dull tedious monastery; however Aungelique also refuses to take a chance on another Jacinthe so this is a good moment to sneak away.



Seur Aungelique escapes to learn more about the pleasures of the flesh having enjoyed the sin of touching herself. She travels to Un Nouveautie to meet the renowned wealthy courtesan la Comtesse Orienne de Hautlimois to learn what she can about carnal pleasures. Orienne tutors the nun who ultimately returns to the monastery where she acts demonically possessed by defiling the church with her contagious lust as she sexually pleasures and punishes her seurs and any monsieur including the Frere who visits them. The once pious monastery has become a house of ill repute where demonic debauchery for the damned is the only prayers answered by sexual meditation.



A MORTAL GLAMOUR is a reprint of a two decade old thriller that does not include Saint Germain. The storyline brings to life medieval France at a time in which the world seems to be going crazy even before the nuns turn into bawdy lustful seurs. Readers will appreciate Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's dark fourteenth century thriller as la Tres Saunte Annunciacion becomes home to the sinful debauched while wondering if this is the devil's work, simply mob mentality mortals breaking God's commandments, or bad food and drink causing madness.



Harriet Klausner