Beautiful Strangers, Ellen Dean
Tales of New Love, Betrayal, Sex, Diamonds and the Desire for Power.
In her debut novel, Ellen Dean tells the story of a group of high society women living in a world of betrayal, emotional blackmail, and, above all, the need for love.
In her novel Beautiful Strangers, (2006, AuthorHouse) Dean has created a wealth of interesting and unusual characters. This story about women who enjoy women, many while still married to their upper class, wealthy husbands, is based in England, and primarily in the North East of the country. Dean describes the landscapes and geography so well the reader is never hard pressed to visualize exactly where the characters are while they are with one another. There is an interesting pagan component to this story as well, with the women celebrating, under Hyacinth's guidance, the equinoxes and sabbats in the beautiful outdoors.
Dean's Characters:
Hyacinth: The ultimate wealthy, spoiled woman is married and has two children. Her husband, David, is having a none-to-discrete affair with his secretary while Hyacinth enjoys the company of the women she keeps, sometimes quite literally, around her. She is, for the most part, despicable, and the reader dearly wishes to reach out and physically throttle her. She manipulates situations and people throughout the book, which leads to the betrayal that crops up continually.
Beth: A young surgeon, Beth only learns of her lesbian tendancies when Hyacinth chooses to seduce her. Once she figures it out, however, she promptly falls in love with a woman, (also wealthy). The relationship is rocky and often treacherous due primarily to Hyacinth's influence.
Lou: Beth's love interest. Lou is an accomplished actress who travels around the world filming. She is suave and has fallen head over heels in love. She too, however, is effected by Hyacinth's machinations and cruelty.
Lindsey: A cop, and Beth's best friend, she investigates the mysterious dealings of Hyacinth and her group. Single and sexual, she is also lonely and a highly likeable character, as she sees things for what they are, while trying to keep Beth and Lou safe.
There are a host of other characters, all of whom have lots of sex and money, as well as unique character traits.
The text is sometimes written in stream of consciousness style, giving a reader the sense of intensity and mystery developed throughout. The underlying subplot keeps the reader engrossed and turning pages. The romance developed between various characters is deep and fast, and has the reader rooting for them all the way.
The Author:
Ellen Dean is a personable, humble and creative author, who is more than willing to discuss her work with fans. In 2007,Beautiful Strangers by Ellen Dean was nominated for a GCLS Award in the Romance catagory, and in 2008 has a screenplay being written by Lauren M. Lynley. StoryCode.com gives the book five stars out of five, with an average age rating of 18+. Hyacinth and Ellen Dean, both have their own myspace webpages. She lives in North Yorkshire with her partner and their dog Jack, as well as their horse Katie. Dean is an amatuer actor and enjoys raising money for charity with her online videos.
