Sanctuary by I. Beacham

Publisher:                Bold Strokes Books

Sanctuary is a story of revenge and misunderstanding that has a conclusion none of the characters could have suspected.

Cate Canton is a successful clothing designer who has established her own company as a force in the fashion world, but that isn’t enough.  She feels that her father unfairly turned her away years ago and robbed her of her heritage, Seraphim, the design house started by her mother.  Cate is determined to get her revenge on her father and take back what is hers.  While they’re both on vacation in Italy, Cate accidentally meets Dita Newton, the young designer who has been put in charge of Seraphim, and fate seems to be playing into her hands.  Cate starts out looking for ways to undermine Dita, but finds herself falling in love with her instead.  By the time Cate realizes how she truly feels it’s too late to stop what’s she’s done to hurt Seraphim and when Dita finds out what has happened, she turns on Cate with hatred.  Dita is injured seriously in a mugging later and Cate steps in anonymously to save the company and Dita’s career.  It means making a truce with her father and facing truths about herself, but Cate is willing to try.  She does it knowing that it may not be enough to show Dita that she’s changed or earn her a second chance to make their relationship work.

Sanctuary is a much better than average romance.  The characters are interesting and, even when the reader knows they’re doing negative things, it’s hard to dislike any of them.  The story gives some insight into the fashion industry, but it’s the characters and their relationships that drive the book.  Cate and her father clearly demonstrate how a family can become dysfunctional because the members don’t communicate.  Sanctuary is one of those books that’s hard to put down, though why may not be clear.  Maybe it’s that it’s a well told story.