Opera singer Sabine Conrad is the toast of nineteenth-century New York high society. A celebrated soprano with the voice of an angel, she is showered with adulation by her audiences and courted by wealthy patrons. But behind the scenes, her every move is controlled by a Svengali-like manager, Gideon Price. When her attempt to escape him goes tragically awry, she flees, leaving behind a grisly murder. Three years later, as Marguerite Olson, she has put aside the prima donna she once was to run a low-class theater in Seattle. Hidden among prostitutes, drunks, and miners, a desperate and determined Marguerite carefully guards the secrets of her old life--until her past returns to offer a terrifying proposition. Prima Donna captures both the glittering decadence of New York and the rough raunchy waterfront of Seattle, as Marguerite, caught between two worlds, must find the strength to confront the truth of her past and choose which voice defines her in this dark...

AN INCONVENIENT WIFE is a rich blend of suspense, social history (America in the 1880s), and passion. Chance delivers a powerfully written page-turner about a woman's struggle to escape the confines of her time, class, and gender. Literary historical fiction is an extremely popular genre, as demonstrated by such bestsellers as Matthew Pearl's "The Dante Club (Random House, 2/03) and Michael Faber's "The Crimson Petal and the White (Harcourt, 9/02). Megan Chance is the author of "Susannah Morrow (Warner, 10/02), which captured the extraordinary drama of the Salem witch trials; as well as the historical romance novels "A Season in Eden (Harper, 1999), "The Gentleman Caller (Harper, 1998), "The Way Home (Harper, 1997), and "Fall from Grace (Harper, 1997).

If you had to decide between passion and contentment, which would you choose?In Victorian New York City, a young woman finds herself torn between two men. The respectable choice, Michael Bayley, is such an appropriate suitor, and when she is with him, she is a better woman. He is nothing like her lover, who is seductive and thrillingly cruel, freeing her to say and do the most wicked things. So when both men ask for her hand in marriage, she knows her decision will define who she is and determine who she will become. Will she choose the man who offers her an upstanding life in the approving company of New York society? Or will she choose the man who fills her with uncontrollable passion? This is a powerful coming-of-age tale filled with desire and indecision, where the choice of who to marry is the most important choice of all.About the AuthorMegan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of several novels. A former television news photographer with a BA from Western Washington University, Megan Chance lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters.

SUMMARY: Opera singer Sabine Conrad is the toast of nineteenth-century New York high society. A celebrated soprano with the voice of an angel, she is showered with adulation by her audiences and courted by wealthy patrons. But behind the scenes, her every move is controlled by a Svengali-like manager, Gideon Price. When her attempt to escape him goes tragically awry, she flees, leaving behind a grisly murder. Three years later, as Marguerite Olson, she has put aside the prima donna she once was to run a low-class theater in Seattle. Hidden among prostitutes, drunks, and miners, a desperate and determined Marguerite carefully guards the secrets of her old life—until her past returns to offer a terrifying proposition. Prima Donna captures both the glittering decadence of New York and the rough raunchy waterfront of Seattle, as Marguerite, caught between two worlds, must find the strength to confront the truth of her past and choose which voice defines her in this dark and harrowing novel.

An irresistible blend of history, suspense and romance captures the extraordinary drama of the Salem witch trials. Set in one of the most horrific yet intriguing periods in history, "Susannah Morrow" offers fascinating psychological insight into the sexual repression that spawned the witch hunts.From Publishers WeeklyThe infamous Salem witch trials are staged once again in thishistorically accurate yet oddly flat novel. Three characters narratethe tale: 15-year-old Charity Fowler; her father, Lucas; and hermaternal aunt, Susannah Morrow. The novel opens in 1691 as Charity,devastated and increasingly uncertain, struggles to cope with both theloss of her mother in childbirth and the abrupt departure of her firstlove. The easily led teenager seeks solace in a group of manipulativegirls, who insinuate that evil is lurking in their insular,superstitious little town. As Charity loses her grasp on reason,Lucas, a God-fearing man who has tended his family the best he can butis hobbled by his piety, takes the reins of the narrative. Tormentedby his sexual longings and uneasy about his stern treatment of hisdaughters, he commits grievous errors in judgment. The hysteria overthe alleged presence of witches in the village-as documented by thecrazed "fits" of young girls-has paralyzed the community whenSusannah's voice takes over. Her London background and her strength,sensuality and courage inevitably make her a victim of the madness,but her lucid narration carries the reader through the horror ofescalating accusations and unmerited punishment. Chance's clear-eyednarrative doesn't slide into sensationalism, but with the exception ofthe intriguing and well-drawn title character, it adds little to thewell-known story.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalTold from the perspective of a victim, her accuser, and the accuser's father, this tale of the Salem witch trials is gripping from its very opening pages. Sixteen-year-old Charity Fowler's mother has just died, and her beautiful Aunt Susannah arrives from England on the same day. Lucas Fowler, Charity's father, is a deeply religious but emotionally distant Puritan who has repressed his own love for his daughter since her birth to focus instead on saving her soul. Charity thus turns to a group of teenage girls in Salem for acceptance. When Aunt Susannah interrupts the girls' visit to a local tavern, she becomes the target of a vicious and tragic sequence of events that eventually lead to her imprisonment as a witch. Most of the supporting characters in this novel are actual historical figures who were involved in the Salem witch trials. Romance writer Chance (The Way Home) has brought believability and immediacy to this dark chapter in American history with a story that can be recommended to a wide spectrum of readers and book discussion groups. Every public library will want to own this.Kim Rutter, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.