A homosexual love affair between a concert pianist and his young page turner. The affair becomes complicated when the youth's mother misconstrues the pianist's attention in her son as an interest in her. The settings are Rome and New York. By the author of While England Sleeps.

Life flourishes in the Book, a world of stacked realms spanning the ages, like the pages of an epic chronicle. Each page opens to domains evoking the glory of ancient empires, the passion of the Renaissance, or the adventure of court intrigue. Those who can travel between them are page turners, blessed with the power to go from one page to the next. For investigator Fiona Thorne, turning the page is normal life. Solving mysteries is where the excitement lives. No case is too small to ignite her curiosity, no page too familiar to explore. She is determined to leave her mark in the Book, no matter where her cases may lead. Whether unravelling conspiracies in an Elizabethan-like kingdom, outwitting sly cutthroat panthers on Roman seas, or navigating intrigues in a Venetian realm of canals and secretive fae, Fiona follows clues through page after page. Blaze, the page of fire, is wasting away. Fire elementals are being smuggled out in waves, but by whom? Fiona is on the job and nothing will hold her back, not even the overbearing Travel Guild. They may run the Book, but they don’t rule her. With the fire page and its creatures on the brink of winking out, she has to race to unravel who the smugglers are and how to stop them. Is there more to this case than it seems? Can Fiona read between the lines and solve it in time? This is the first of a brilliant new historical fantasy series in a world where people are more than their ability, their title, or their page. Come for the world-building and mysteries. Stay for the delightful characters whom you’ll root for time and time again. This series is definitely a page turner.

The yearly attendance with Queen Brilliance of Rise is upcoming, and wouldn’t you know it, Fiona is dreading it. All human page turners assembled together in one place is not for the faint of heart. Between the tangled politics of home and facing her overbearing mother, she counts herself lucky it’s only for a few days. But this year, the Queen presses Fiona with an unexpected request—find the mythical Guardian of Restless Rise. Can she discern true intentions amid obscured agendas? Is the Queen’s desire sincere or does she, or the enigmatic Painted Edge, seek control over the Guardian’s power? Fiona soon finds herself joined by a sharp-tongued gentleman whose verbal sparring belies an undercurrent of something more. Can he be trusted or is he another hidden player? Amid schemes and betrayals, Fiona must piece together palace intrigues and myths to discover if the Guardian truly exists.

Susan Tomes, a leading musician, describes her experience of twenty years of rehearsal, concerts and recording.